Deck of Heroes
by Jauneforever
Summary: Life isn't always fair. Sometimes it feels like the world is targeting you. In the end some people are dealt a bad hand in life while others are dealt a winning hand. Other times a dimension hopping Troll deals you a hand that will change your life forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Shout out to kingsguardian12 for letting me use his OC Alister Kurokoko and for the inspiration for this story. Also fair warning I'm going to be making some speculations on discrimination based on sexuality in Remnant this chapter. Beta read by Khor Evik Vlakhavlakh. I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse.**

**Chapter 1: The Cards We Are Dealt**

Jaune slammed his fist against a tree deep in the Emerald Forest; the bark breaking around his fist. Anger had long since overridden the despair and sorrow that he had felt since he had been called into Ozpin's office. It would have hurt less if he hadn't seen it coming. Ever since they had met Alister Kurokoko month ago his friends had slowly been shoving him aside.

'I thought that they actually cared.' Jaune snorted at that. Things had been tense after he revealed his transcripts; only the fact Blake's past deeds was worse kept Weiss, Yang, or Blake herself from turning him in. Yet as the months passed and he made a decent showing in the first two rounds of the Festival he thought they had forgiven him or at least accepted him; he wouldn't say he was close with the three of them but they no longer excluded him on principle. Yet than Alister showed up.

Alister was from Haven, apparently the numbers ended up with him being the odd one out. The Headmaster of Haven therefore arranged for him to transfer to Beacon to gain some new experiences to make up for his lack of teammates. Jaune himself had welcomed the boy with open arms and so did the rest of the gang; Alister had taken to the group like a fish into water. The black-haired boy got along with everyone; everyone but the knight. Jaune didn't see it at first but two weeks into Alistair's stay and it became clear that the transfer student aimed to replace Jaune and he was successful.

Slowly but surely Jaune found himself shoved aside for Alister. WBY was easily foreseeable; Jaune had only made bad impressions on them and they never forgot the idiotic pick-up lines, the air-sickness, or his initial weakness. Alistair in comparison was a strong guy who was willing to pun with Yang, discuss business-related stuff that went over most people's head with Weiss, or talk about various ways to advocate for Faunus Rights with Blake. Jaune could understand those three, he could deal with it. It hurt but compared to the other four it was a minor sting.

Nora, practically a ninth sister after his blood-kin and Terra, moved Alister up to the title of second favorite guy after it was revealed he could make amazing pancakes and high-level explosives. His willingness to go along with her antics was just a cherry on top. The Valkyrie could then be found talking Alistair's ear of whenever Ren was busy, an honor that Jaune had once held with pride.

Ren had been the member of the JNPR that took his transcripts the worst but Jaune had felt that a fight between them, aka Ren beating the crap out of him once, had solved their issues and that they had truly become brothers since then. Apparently that was one-sided as Ren took to spending as much time as he could with Alistair to discuss aura manipulation and various herbal remedies. The two could be found meditating, something that Jaune tried and failed to truly get into. Than finally he lost Ruby and Pyrrha, the two he was closest to gone.

Ruby; the girl that was his first friend at Beacon. The girl that had stood by him at all times and helped him through so many rough patches and who he had helped nearly as many times, his fellow leader who had promised to stand by his side as they made their teams two of the greatest in Beacon's history. She stuck by him at first, spending more time with him than Alistair yet slowly that changed. More and more often she would be discussing weapons with Alistair, going over complex forging methods or possible upgrades for everyone else's weapons alongside their own. Jaune noted his was never brought up despite the numerous times Ruby had at one point begged to do something with Crocea Mors. And when Alistair made her apparently divine cookies Ruby was lost to him, despite her assurances they were still friends, that he was still her greatest 'guy-friend' Jaune knew they were empty words.

Pyrrha, his partner, his teacher, the first person to ever believe he had potential. She was the one to awaken his aura, to train him, to give him some actual confidence. Ever since the dance, ever since he got over his childish infatuation with Weiss, he had begun to fall for his partner. He had even been deluded enough to believe Pyrrha had felt something more for him than mere comradery and familial bonds. Now such a thought made him scoff; Pyrrha had clearly just been keeping up appearances or some such thing. With every one of their friends that began to favor Alistair Pyrrha had begun to spend more time with the transfer student and less time with her partner.

On top of that Alistair began to flirt with Pyrrha, began to court the champion with what was eerily a more streamlined and polished version of the way Jaune attempted to win Weiss's affections. Jaune watched as Alistair constantly made Pyrrha's cheeks red, as he won the champions heart over. When the two became a couple Jaune accepted it, realizing he lost his chance. It hurt, it hurt more than any other failure in his life ever had. True his partner had promised she'd still spend time with him but it knew that was a lie even before the first time she cancelled a training session.

Everything led up to this morning when he found himself in Ozpin's office and listening to his team make an argument to replace him with Alistair. To his horror Ozpin's initial denial provided the knowledge that this wasn't the first time such a notion had been brought up, that this was the third time they had argued for Alistair to take his place.

"_Jaune simply has no aptitude for this lifestyle and will never make it as a Huntsman." _Gone was the belief Pyrrha had once had in him; or perhaps it had never existed.

It touched Jaune that Ozpin stood up for him, that he defended the boy that had faked his way into the man's academy. He was just as shocked at Goodwitch's defense of him, the woman had made no secret of her dislike for him and he was surprised she wasn't on NPR's side. The fact the combat instructor said he had a great deal of potential filled him with warmth.

In the end Jaune decided to save everyone the trouble and relinquished his position on JNPR once it's former members said they'd transfer to Haven to form a team with Alistair with team RWBY most likely following them. Ozpin had actually looked nervous at that and Jaune knew why. JNPR and RWBY were the first two first-year teams to make it to the finals of the Vytal Festival since team STRQ. On top of that each team contained members whose backgrounds and popularity could cause problems for Beacon if they all left.

Pyrrha Nikos, enough said.

Ren and Nora had become a rags to riches success story thanks to some vultures in the media digging up their pasts after their success in the Festival and discovering what happened to their hometown. Apparently they had provided a major inspiration to those that lacked the means to easily gain the training and equipment to enter a combat school.

Weiss Schnee, also one who needed no further explanation.

Blake Belladonna, while he wasn't the smartest or the most knowledgeable Jaune had actually recognized her last name as the leader of Menagerie thanks to knowing a former Fang member from his hometown that left once Ghira stepped down. Admittedly he didn't realize she was his daughter at first but it wasn't like he knew what the man looked like or if he even had a family. If she left it would be a powerful statement about Beacon's relationship with Faunus even if Blake didn't advertise her species.

No, better he bow out than cost Ozpin seven amazingly talented students and give him a whole lot of PR problems. After relinquishing his position he gave Ozpin and Goodwitch his thanks and walked into Ozpin's elevator. Once the doors closed he collapsed down and cried at the turn of events; he had pulled himself together by the time he reached the ground and rushed over to the room that once belonged to JNPR and packed a rucksack of essentials. He jotted down a quick note to his family explaining what happened that he stuck in a mailbox on his way to his locker to get his armor and weapon.

Oum, just as he was finally repairing things with his family. It wasn't that they were bad people, he knew they had always loved him and he them, but most of them didn't have the most flexible mindset. His sister Saphron was a perfect example, when she came out as being homosexual their parents didn't take too kindly to it as they held the typical view that most people not living in the main areas of the kingdom take.

_If it doesn't produce children a relationship is wrong_. The concept was based on the high mortality rate that could befall these areas and it had been around for generations and with each generation its meaning had become more focused. Where once it meant that all relationships that didn't produce children improvements in science had led to the view now focusing solely on homosexual relationships. Such an idea held no water in the more populated areas but in areas with low to medium populations it was sadly common. In the end Saphron had eloped with her girlfriend Terra Cotta and moved to Argus leading to everyone else going there to work things out. It had taken time and effort but his parents had come around and welcomed Terra into the family.

This also applied to their belief he couldn't become a Huntsman and the steps they had taken to ensure he never did. They purged their house of all but the most generalized information of the trade and any mention of aura, they threatened the local library to keep similar materials away from him, the local blacksmith was told to never produce armor or weapons for him, anyone that could teach him anything of fighting was kept an arm's length away from him. The only reason they went along with his fake transcripts idea was because they expected him to be turned away or fail miserably.

Yet after the Vytal festival they called him up; true they attributed most of his team's success to the other three, which he agreed with, but they told him how proud they were of him. His father had promised to teach him a few tricks when he came back for a break, even if he said that it was so he would be of more use to his team. Now any progress made on enhancing their opinion of him would take a good hundred steps back.

As he was putting on his armor and strapping on his sword Ozpin had sent him a message saying that he was more than welcome to stay but understood why he wouldn't want to do that; therefore he would check with the other Headmasters to see if there was an open slot for him and would message him once he had something. Once more the Headmaster's belief in him touched Jaune and this time he let out a few tears at this. A second message from Goodwitch both praised him for his rapid improvement and admonished him for even coming to Beacon so unprepared before giving him the backhanded praise of 'succeeding where most everyone would fail' made it rather hard to dry his eyes. While it was kind of his teachers to look for another team for him to join Jaune doubted it would work out; once word got out his team and their sister team had blacklisted him no-one would touch him. His dream was unobtainable now, this had been a desperate last hope at reaching it and it was all for naught.

And that realization led him to the heart of the Emerald Forest. If his dream was dead, if he was going to leave in disgrace than he was going to prove even if just to himself that he had reached a level where he belonged at Beacon. It wasn't perfect but his self-made test was the best he could come up with on short-notice. He was going to redo the Initiation in a sense, there would be no relic this time merely getting to the ruins were the chess pieces once sat and making it back to Beacon in one piece. Was it a bit in his favor after going through it once, yes it was but this time it was just him rather than a group of seven and one anchor. Going to the cliff and dropping his rucksack there he hopped on a launch pad and was flung into the Emerald Forest.

Landing was interesting this time, taking a straightforward approach Jaune just put his shield in front of him and rammed through everything, letting the shield and his aura take the damage. Once he hit the ground the Grimm were upon him, his emotions drawing them in despite his efforts to control them.

For once Jaune was grateful for the Grimm, cutting them down was therapeutic. All the anger and hate that had boiled below his other emotions, that had built up for months as he was systematically purged from his friends' lives, he could finally just let it go and release it at something. Grimm after Grimm came at him, mostly Ursa, Beowolfs, and Boarbatusk, and they all died. Yes, Jaune didn't come out unscathed but he took only minor injuries that healed soon after. Once he buried his sword in the skull of the last soulless monster his fist slammed into a tree.

Taking deep breaths, relying on the few meditation techniques that he had picked up from his brief foray into mediation with Ren he managed to calm himself down. Yes he had taken care of those Grimm just fine but they were grunts; no need to call some Alphas down upon him. Finding the old ruins was easier than he thought it would be after he stumbled upon the trail of broken trees that the Deathstalker from Initiation had left. Following the trail of destruction brought him to the ruins; more Grimm fell to his blade on the way. Jaune smiled to himself as he managed to continue to kill them without taking major injury but when he saw the ruins he frowned. In his mind it was too easy; the path created by the Deathstalker had made this test worthless.

The ruins that held the chess pieces still stood, Jaune had honestly thought the Deathstalker had destroyed them as it chased them. Jaune decided to take a closer look, bitter sweet though it may be this was still a place that he treasured.

"Huh? What are these?" Eight cards lay on the one of the pillars of the ruins; each one depicting a different figure. There was a sword-wielding knight, a spearman, an archer, a chariot-driver, what appeared to be an assassin holding two knives, a mage, a humanoid beast, and the last bore the image of a decrepit figure chained in a manner similar to the design of a straight-jacket. "Was Ozpin holding another test out here soon?" Jaune thought aloud before shrugging and pocketing the cards, he'd give them to Ozpin and ask him.

It was the sound that alerted him, that made him leap to the side as a drill rammed into the stone pillar behind him and turned it into rubble. If he hadn't have moved he would have been pinned, trapped as that weapon ate away at his armor and aura if it didn't break through them instantly. Jaune faced his attacker and fought the urge to rub his eyes.

Standing before him was a humanoid figure that at first thought would make you believe it was a Grimm if not for the lack of bone armor or glowing red marks and eyes. No this was like liquid darkness had been poured into a mold shaped like a well-built man. What he had thought was a drill was in fact a sword, clearly one built to work like a drill but the way the figure held it showed it was without a doubt a sword.

Jaune's quick deployment of his shield was what saved his life because the figure swung at him, its odd weapon spinning once more. Crocea Mor's shield, something that had never needed anything more than minor repairs at best in all the time he had used it, shattered on impact.

"GAAAAHHH!" Jaune screamed as he was launched back, his arm broken from the force of the blow and a few chunks of his shield stuck in his arm. By the time he hit the ground his aura had closed his wounds and forced the chunks of metal out as well as making sure his arm was more fractured than broken. The knight didn't stay on the ground for long as his attacker was on him again, swinging its blade up and catching him with the tip. Jaune's armor gained a nasty gash and his chest was cut into as he was sent flying once more, when he hit the ground he hacked up blood with his cry of pain. Crocea Mor's blade lay embedded in the ground out of his reach.

'So this is how it ends.' Jaune's head lolled to the side and took in his approaching killer as the creature flipped its weapon into a backwards grip. 'No-one is even going to know how I died, people will probably think I jumped and scavengers got the body.' His hands clenched into fists as he tried to rise, if he died here, if people thought he killed himself then that would just prove to them that Pyrrha was right, that he couldn't handle the life of a huntsman. The creature stood above him; the drill spinning so fast that you could see the air moving around it. It raised the weapon up, both hands on the handle to plunge the weapon down.

"No way, I refuse to die like this." Forcing his aura to spread throughout his body forced his body to rise and slammed his shoulder into the being. The humanoid didn't even budge; one hand moved down to grip his arm and throw him to the side. Jaune skidded on his back for a few yards before shakily climbing back to his feet. "I'm not going to die, not until…" Jaune's eyes gained a dark glare and a light emanated from his pocket. "… not until I prove everyone wrong!" His parents, his sisters, NPR and RWBY, all of them. He wanted … no needed to prove them wrong.

'_Oh yeah! Now that's what I like to hear; tell them all where to stick it! Show them all just how great you are!" _Jaune froze at the sound of that voice and then lunged to the side to avoid another blow. It was then he noticed the light coming from his pocket and pulled out the glowing card that depicted the knight. "_Alright boy; let's call this a trial run. Show me what you can do with my power! Say the words and let's crush this guy!' _ Jaune looked at the card in shock before wincing in pain as two words were screamed in his mind.

"What the hell, let's try it. Install Saber!" Red Light emanated from the card, a gasp escaped Jaune as he felt a foreign energy flood his body. Visions flooded into his mind of a young girl desperately seeking her father's love; soaking herself in blood to prove her strength in her quest for approval. He saw her father deny her, saw her lead a bloody revolution, saw her father run her through with a lance. The creature charged him with that sword, a howl escaping it. Jaune reached out on instinct, his hands closing around a hilt materializing in the air. A name formed on the tip of his tongue.

"Mordred, LETS GO!"

**! #%$!$ %$!**

From his seat Kischur Zeltretch Schweinrog watched as his chosen entertainment called upon the power of a class card. The centuries old vampire smirked at the sight, truly the boy was going to be interesting.

Class Cards, such a wonderful yet terrifying invention. To allow one to claim the power of a heroic spirit was something to behold; it was why he confiscated as many as he could in every dimension that they popped up. One mishap could have a corrupted version of the spirt running amok just like the one that attacked the young Arc or they could possess a being and make them rampage. Sadly during his last raid, for lack of a better word, he had made to take them himself. That version of the Ainsworth family fought back and during the struggle the box holding the cards broke right as he made to leave the dimension.

Now those cards were scattered across this dimension, one of the Remnant timelines where two beings of divine power formed before the other gods could and stopped all the others from forming. On top of that True Magic ran wild for a time in this world before becoming scarce when the Brothers had their tantrum. Now only scattered pieces remained and any magic wielder was little more than a novice level magus, the majority only capable of bending the elements to their will.

Worlds such as these were abandoned by the "World"; no Counter-Guardian would ever set foot on it to help them, the inhabitants were left to whatever calamity befell them. That was why he chose to help this world once the cards fell into them.

Zeltretch may have cast aside his humanity long ago but he still had his moral as loose as they could be. He caused the problem so he would help fix it, even if he did so in such a way he would be sure to be entertained.

The obvious way to fight Class Cards was to use Class Cards, well that or a Kaleidostick but Jaune Arc, despite probably being willing to go along with transforming into a magical girl, had enough self-esteem problems without a magical wand insulting him.

Oh yes Zeltretch had already chosen Jaune Arc as the one to recover the cards after watching how impressive so many of his other selves were. Be they villain, psychopath, hero, ruler, or revolutionary Jaune Arcs had a tendency to leave a mark upon their world.

True the journey would be difficult and every third timeline saw Jaune dying during it but it was better than if he didn't intervene. If he didn't given the boy the Cards he would have died at this moment and even without cards if he did nothing Jaune Arc would not see the vast improvements he had made thanks to his extreme self-deprecation and low opinion of himself. At some point down the line he would kill himself; the time and method changed: hanging himself in a motel before returning home, walking off into Grimm-infested territory after returning home and fighting till he dies, or even just killing himself right there at the ruins but in the end it was inevitable that Jaune would die by his own hand.

'Yes, Jaune Arc is much better off as my helper/entertainment.' So Zeltretch had made his own set of class cards, ones that provided Jaune Arc a variety of skills that his tactical mind could make use of. These Cards were special however, normally when a Class Card was created the Heroic Sprit inside was stripped of their reason and ego in order to prevent them from possessing the user but this was also what made them so dangerous as if the Spirit manifested through possession or the construction of a body they would always rampage.

In Zeltretch's opinion this also decreased the amount of power one could get from a Card so he skipped that part and instead simply made sure the spirits used were ones that Jaune Arc could connect with or wouldn't cause him to many problems.

Mordred the Knight of Betrayal; the saber class servant. The child of King Arthur that craved her father's love and acceptance yet was denied it. Filled with self-hatred and loathing that she soon turned on the king; in her rage the Knight led a rebellion against her father and was struck down by the king but not before dealing a lethal blow herself.

Diarmuid Ua Duibhne; the lancer class servant. The twin spearman that was cursed with a magical love spot that made any woman that gazed upon it fall for him instantly. This led to a series of events that started with his king's fiancée falling for him and using a spell to make him run away with her to his tale ending with his king letting him die in a fit of hatred and betrayal. Despite all the suffering their actions caused him till the end the knight refused to feel any hatred for them.

Atalanta; the archer class servant. Abandoned by her father for being born a girl rather than a male heir to his throne, rescued by the Moon Goddess, making a name as one of the greatest hunters in all the lands, forced to marry by her father, tricked into marriage by a suitor and a cruel goddess of love despite her vow of Chasity to the Moon Goddess that saved her. Her distrust of men might be a problem at first but Zeltretch knew she would work with Jaune soon enough.

Medusa; the rider class servant. Cursed by a goddess that was jealous of her and her sisters' beauty Medusa and her sisters sought isolation. Yet despite that the gods sent 'heroes' to slay them and so Medusa killed those that came for her life, using her now-cursed eyes to turn them to stone. Eventually she was consumed by hatred and became a true monster that even killed her sisters. She was eventually killed by a hero. As a servant she was in the state she was right before madness consumed her. She would cause Jaune no problems however, Medusa was a Spirit that showed loyalty to her Master whenever summoned.

Kiritsugu Emiya; the assassin class servant. A man that wanted to save the world no matter the cost he steeled his heart and killed anyone that threatened the world no matter the cost. In his eyes ten innocent casualties were a worthwhile cost if a hundred more were saved. In the end his ideals betrayed him and he died cold alongside having accomplished nothing. His existence was an odd one; he was a Counter Guardian and yet he name had been etched into the Throne of Heroes after events that occurred in one dimension. His ideals would clash with Jaune but he would work alongside the boy if it saved lives.

Medea the Witch of Betrayal; the caster-class servant. Born a princess she was made to blindly love a traveling hero named Jason by the same goddess that later tricked Atalanta who at the time was a crew-member of Jason. Under the goddesses spell she not only helped Jason steal one of her countries greatest treasures but also killed her brother. Her magic was then used to secure Jason's spot on the throne but his crew betrayed both him and Medea unknowing of her lack of choice. Jason eventually wed another woman and in a fit of rage at his betrayal despite all she had done for him she appeared at his wedding and killed everyone but him before disappearing. Jaune's likeness to Jason would cause problems but as long as he was sincere with her he shouldn't have many problems with her. Maybe, honestly Zeltretch was hoping he did so that there would be some more entertainment.

Frankenstein; the berserker class servant. Created by a scientist that aimed to create life, tossed aside when she failed to meet his expectations, denied a mate by him, she chased her creator down after he fled when she killed those close to him before he died to deny his creation her wish. Frankenstein ended her life by burning herself on the pyre. Zeltretch smirked at the thought of this servant, if Jaune didn't watch himself he might find himself as Frankenstein's bridegroom.

And finally Edmond Dantes; the avenger class servant. Betrayed and unjustly imprisoned for fourteen years this man broke out and brought vengeance upon his betrayers, catching countless innocents in the crossfire. Zeltretch looked forward to seeing how the Avenger interacted with Jaune. Would he inflict his hatred of reality upon Jaune or would he be content to just support the boy?

Yes those eight servants would do just nicely for Jaune. He already had Mordred's interest if she was letting him use her power.

**#$% #$**

The creature that attacked Jaune swung once more but this time its blade was stopped by another. Jaune was now clad in the thick silver armor decorated with red highlights that had clad Mordred in his visions. His face was obscured by a thick helm with two gigantic horns sticking out of it; in his hands was Mordred's large two-handed silver blade that radiated power.

"Now then…" Jaune's voice was now overlapped with the one from the card "… payback time!" Right as he made this proclamation Jaune released one hand from his sword and used it to punch his attacker. The creature was sent flying from the blow and Jaune on it; tearing into it with his sword and making it screech in agony. Jaune snatched it by its head and slammed his armored knee into his opponent's gut.

"Not so fun when it's you, is it bastard?!" Jaune punctuated each word with another knee to the gut before throwing the creature away almost contemptuously. Red lightning began to dance across his blade as he pointed it towards his foe.

"CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" the lightning struck his opponent, sending it to the ground screeching. Once the lightning ended Jaune walked up and flipped his sword into a one-handed reverse grip. "Shut up." Driving the blade down into its chest the creature's screams ceased. Jaune then watched in interest as rather than dissolve like a Grimm its body was absorbed into a card just like the one he used, it even had a knight on it. His armor disappeared right after his foe did.

"_Heh, not bad. Then again with my power there was no way you could fail. All right its settled; I, Mordred; Knight of Betrayal, accept you as my Master. Let's show this whole world our greatness!" _

"Huh!?" Jaune looked at the card in his hand to see that one side had been replaced to show a picture of the armor he had just worn only the helmet was missing. This revealed that the one wearing it was a young woman with blond hair and green eyes.

"Perhaps I can explain everything young man." Jaune turned to find an old man in a black suit with silver trimmings. In one hand he grasped a cane and in the other he held out both Jaune's rucksack and his sword. Jaune's eyes widened as he saw the sheath/shield was fully repaired. "I think you'll like what I have to offer."

**#$% #%**

Jaune's head spun as he tried to take in everything the old man named Zeltretch had said.

"Right so just so I'm clear you are a mage, which are people that use magic that science can replicate, that possesses a form of True Magic that allows you to travel between dimensions along with seeing into future timelines and you lost a bunch of these Class Cards that are now scattered across Remnant. And your brilliant idea to recover them is to give me some Cards and have me trek all across the world for them."

"That is the gist of it young man, glad to see you understand. Of course from what I can tell Atlas has only three luckily; nothing good comes from them poking around with things they don't understand like the Cards."

"And you can't get them yourself why?" Jaune watched as the man shrugged dismissively.

"Don't feel like it."

"WHAT?!"

"_Don't bother Master, mages at his and that flower freak's level are all flighty bastards that take delight in watching others struggle." _Jaune felt his eye twitch at Mordred's words. This day had gone from bad to worse and then to ridiculous.

"Right, so young man I figured I'd drop you off where the largest concentration of Cards are and let you work your way from there."

"I never agreed to help you!"

"Then by all means go back to returning to your home in disgrace." Jaune froze at that. Zeltretch was right, the only other option he had was going home. "Don't try and fool me or yourself boy." Jaune watched as a serious look came on the old man's face for the first time. "You are not the kind of man that can stand by while people are in danger. Allow me to paint you a picture of an incredibly likely scenario, one of these cards possesses a Grimm leading to a strong enough being to tear the kingdoms' defenses apart like wet paper. Another would be these cards possessing someone or materializing a body like the one that just attacked you and in a search for the fuel they need to survive the corrupted Spirits devour every soul they get their hands on." Jaune paled at that.

"Oh yes that is what your fate would have been if you died; your soul would have been the Spirit's first meal." Zeltretch stepped forward and Jaune felt an oppressive weight emanate from the man and settle on his shoulders. "Your world can't handle this. Huntsman and Huntresses won't stand a chance against most of these spirits if they're given a chance to grow; perhaps a team of the best could handle a newly formed one but otherwise they are just sheep to the slaughterhouse."

"B… but…"

"BUT NOTHING BOY! A Heroic Spirit is something beyond anything someone of the living can handle, only specific circumstances could lead to a human standing a chance against them." Jaune gulped at that; to hear how the greatest fighters in Remnant would be useless was jarring. Zeltretch held out his hand, a stern look on his face. "Now then, will you accept the cards and defend your world?"

Jaune looked at the hand stretched out in front of him as he clutched the Saber card in his hand. He was terrified to admit it but the power flowing through him when he used it was intoxicating. After being the weakling for so long, to have such vast amounts of power, even borrowed as it was, was a rush. To have Mordred accept him was thrill, once they were connected he realized that if she desired to take his body the knight could have done so in a second yet she let him be in control. This deal, it was a risk. He could die or even worse be devoured by a rampaging spirit.

Yet he could be a hero, he could be a defender of those that couldn't defend himself. His dream was in reach, all he had to do was reach out and shake Zeltretch's hand. He didn't even realize it that his hand did so without him thinking of it, before he even registered it he was shaking the vampire's hand. Zeltretch's teeth gleamed as he smiled down at Jaune.

With this action Jaune Arc had chosen to walk with death.

**Thoughts? Ideas? Heroic Spirits you want to see later on? For those that didn't know the spirit that Jaune ran into was Fergus mac Roich. Hope you all enjoy this one. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright people seem to like this story so far; I can only hope it can keep it up. At this point I will answer a few questions. Jaune will only be using these 8 cards, the reason he didn't get Shirou as archer is that having Shirou train Jaune or be his servant has already been done, and using the Jeanne Alter also felt a bit lazy. As I said I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse. Beta Read by good old Khor.**

**Chapter 2: A Game of Cat and Bird.**

_Journal Entry/ Post Beacon entry 4_

_Right, so this journal's purpose has changed a great deal since two weeks ago. Rather than record my life at Beacon its purpose is now to document the insanity that is my life now. Some days I think I must actually be in a padded cell right now but Mordred is always ready to remind me that I couldn't dream up someone like her even if I tried. Right, I'm repeating myself now. Let's move on to the purpose of this entry and document what the Spirits I can use are capable of._

_First, because I'll never hear the end of it otherwise, is Mordred. So far she is the most powerful servant I can call upon. Her armor is incredibly durable, more so to survive her own strength than anything. Her Crimson Lightning technique is her go-to option for long-distance attacks but throwing her blade is something I have memories of her doing. Her Nobel Phantasm is something I haven't touched yet but the destructive power I've seen makes it something I won't touch in a populated area. _

_Diarmuid is the second servant I managed to Install. A master of a twin-spear fighting style; he's faster and more agile than Mordred as well as more strategically minded. For once luck was on my side and when I Install him I do not receive the Love Spot that caused him so much trouble. His spears are terrifying, one creates wounds that will never heal and the other will cancel or pierce anything magical. The latter will be useful once we face a Caster class while the other will ensure those that rely on outlasting their opponents will be faced with wounds that constantly bleed them out. A note to myself; when making deals never have Diarmuid Installed. He is proof there is such a thing a too loyal and I don't want his mindset influencing me while I make deals._

_Finally we have Medusa the Rider. Her memories were disturbing to say the least. Mordred and Diarmuid had some horrifying memories filled with bloodshed and carnage but theirs' were on the field of battle. Medusa's were memories of her being hunted down or her doing the hunting. More and more I receive new memories of her decent into madness and I feel only sorrow for her. Cursed by a goddess and set upon by 'heroes' from across the land, added on to her sisters treatment of her, her mind just couldn't take it. On a side note saying so made her act oddly for a time but she soon returned to her normal self. Installing her is interesting to say the least. For one her outfit changes from a dress to some very tight shorts and a sleeveless top for me. Secondly is the way I'm blindfolded when she is Installed. Her eyes are her main Nobel Phantasm and therefore covered when not in use; in exchange my other senses are incredibly heightened. This is the Install that has me the most closely linked to the spirit as her experience and skill are even more important with the lack of sight. Her main weapon is a set of nail-shaped daggers attached to chains, combined with her great speed hit and run tactics are my best choice for using her._

With the final addition to his journal Jaune shut down the journal app on his scroll and tucked it away. Two weeks since he had taken Zeltretch up on his offer and he had come to see exactly why the Vampire was concerned. Three cards, that's how many he had found and while the first two, a horned figure wielding a gigantic ax and a gunslinger respectively, had been newly born the third, a Spirit that appeared to be a young woman that threw around fire and turned into a dragon at one point, had slaughtered a whole trading caravan. By the time he found it nothing but bits of burnt wood and charred skeletons had remained. It was at that point that Jaune was truly thankful for the memories he had seen of his Heroic Spirits as they let him ignore that detail until after the corrupted Spirit was defeated. Once that was done he spent an hour vomiting whatever was in his stomach as Diarmuid talked him through it. Within twenty-four hours after every fight Zeltretch would show up to collect the cards.

Jaune smiled as he looked around the Shion, apparently he had wandered through just in time for a big wedding and there was plenty of work to be done. He had traded he services for room and board; performing whatever task needed to be done while listening for gossip that could relate to a Card. Diamurd had been jubilant the whole time; telling the tale of him and Grianne.

"_And that is how my and Grianne's union came to be." _Jaune just nodded along, unsure of how to think about the story. Mordred however….

"_Tch, so you're just like Lancelot. I'll at least allow you the fact she used a Geas to make you run off with her but you still married her."_

"_I loved her and until my King accepted it I lied not a single finger upon her. She was as pure as snow until we consummated our marriage." _

"_YOU STILL BETRAYED THE ONE YOU SWORE YOUR LOYALTY TO!"_

"_SHUT IT KNIGHT OF BETRAYAL! THE ONE WHO BROUGHT THEIR KINGDOM'S DEMISE HAS NO RIGHT TO JUDGE! " _Jaune winced asthe two knights began to argue; wishing Mordred would make up her mind on if she hated her father or not as then this argument would stop.

"_Both of you, quiet. You're making Master uncomfortable." _Medusa's voice filled Jaune's ears, a curious mix of sultry and concerned. Both knights quieted down at that, something Jaune thanked Medusa for as he sat down on a bench in the town square. He looked around, taking in the banners and lights set up. Shion was a constant vacation spot for the Arc family, the town's harvest festival famous throughout the area and being back in it brought back some bittersweet memories.

Mordred had made him question his parents and sisters way of raising him; the knight finding it disturbing that in such a dangerous land the sole heir was not taught to survive. Jaune had been forced to explain gender-equality to Mordred and discovered the young girl's hatred of her gender. Since then Jaune had made an effort to only call her by her given name as any use of feminine pronouns set her off. Still her thoughts stuck with him and Jaune had been forced to take a hard look at his life. Yes his family wanted him safe but they forbid him from taking even introductory self-defense classes. And while the town he grew up in was a relatively safe place they did lose people to Grimm and bandits, Jaune himself had lost three friends to the soulless beasts over the years.

Instead of a sword Jaune was trained to wield a needle, the only reason he used a knife was to cook, for crying out loud he was turned into a skilled masseuse when his sisters wanted him to help ease the back-pain puberty had brought them. The memories of Medusa's sisters treating their sister like a servant only settled the point, that his family had decided the only worth he had was as a butler to them. Jaune was sure they loved him but it was hard to look past both the lessons and the fact that when his sisters decided what they wanted to be they had received full support unlike him.

"_They probably just wanted to keep you safe, I know that my old man wanted me to spend a long time before joining him in his house and Anegus was the same."_

'Maybe, or did they want to keep me indoors and ensure I didn't embarrasses them. Either way they wanted me stuck in a gilded cage.' His servants kept quiet at that and Jaune got up as the mayor of the town, an aging man in his sixties named Bacchus, came up to him.

"Jaune my boy, would you mind keeping an eye on my granddaughter, Thalia, while I deal with some more adult matters of the upcoming festivities?" At Bacchus' words an eight-year old brunette dressed in a pink sundress and her hair set in pigtails came out from behind his legs and pouted up at the man. Jaune grinned at Thalia, having come to know the little girl rather well over the past few days.

"Grandpa, I'm plenty grown-up. I even have a part in auntie Vivian's wedding." The mayor chuckled at the little girl and leaned down to pat her on the head.

"Yes, yes. I'm sure you'll be an excellent flower girl but this is something you'll need to be a bit older for."

"How old?"

"You'll need wrinkles like mine before you can get involved in these matters. Come know, didn't you say how awesome it be to spend time with Jaune earlier." Jaune felt a blush on his cheeks as Thalia turned bright red. Stepping up her leaned over and held out his hand to the girl.

"Let's leave the geezer to whatever he had to do, okay? The two of us can go enjoy the game stalls they set up this morning." A bright smile is his answer.

"Thank you Jaune, I'll get her in a few hours." Jaune waved the mayor off but accepted the Lien the man gave him for the games. Nodding to Bacchus Jaune scooped Thalia up and carried her off to the game stalls.

The first one Thalia wanted to do was a ring toss game, the little girl eagerly playing the game and earning a stuffed cat. Following that she dragged Jaune to the darts, earning a little crown for her efforts. That was how Jaune spent the next two hours, following Thalia around as she racked up the prizes. If a bit of his own Lien was used to pay for her fun Jaune so be it, after the last few week he had lived Jaune was enjoying the joy that radiated from the innocent little girl.

"So then little lady, which do you want to end with." Thalia eagerly pointed to a basketball game that had been set up. The goal was to score twenty goals, a prize being earned based on how many you made.

"That one, that one." Jaune set Thalia down in front of it and handed the woman manning the stall the Lien needed to play. The little girl eagerly picked up her first ball and threw it up wildly, hitting the backboard and sending it flying back at her, Jaune plucked the ball from the air before it hit her and set it down.

"Hey, bit too much power behind it. Here, like this." Jaune led Thalia through the next shot, showing her how to do it just like his sisters did for him once. Thalia managed to get the next three through the hoop and barely missed the fifth. Jaune just laughed and ruffled her hair as she pouted at her streak being broken. By the end of it Thalia had managed to get a score of 13/20. Jaune couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's choice of a foam sword as her prize.

"_Agreed, at least make it wood. How else is she supposed to do damage with it?" _It took everything Jaune had not to double over laughing at the sheer indignation in Mordred's voice.

"Jaune." The knight looked down at Thalia who held her sword up at him. "Can you teach me how to use a sword." Jaune got down on one knee so that he was face to face with the young girl.

"And why do you want to wield a sword."

"To kill the bandits." Jaune's blood ran cold and a silence filled the area at the Thalia's statement. The sheer hatred on her face scared Jaune, it didn't belong on a girl as young as her. "They took my Mommy from me, Daddy never recovered and one day he died from a broken heart. It hurt him so much it exploded inside his chest, you could see it on his clothes." Jaune's mouth dried as he realized this little girl had walked in on her father after he killed himself, someone clearly making her think that tale was true. "I want to make sure every bandit dies, I want to make sure no-one else losses a mommy or daddy to them." Tears filled her eyes as she looked up at him, clutching the toy sword to her chest. "So please teach me how to kill them." Jaune shakily enveloped Thalia in a hug, his heart aching at listening to this girl's story. He knew her Grandfather was raising her and that he was the only family she still had; that her calling the bride auntie was simply because of how close the young woman was to Thalia but he had no idea just how she had lost her family.

"I can't, I can't just train you for something like that."

"But.."

"You are an eight-year old girl, your life goal shouldn't be to kill people. Besides you're too young for that. " Jaune knew most people started combat training around eleven, ten at most. He had started asking, and being denied, training at this age.

"But.."  
"You want to protect people right?" Jaune pushed Thalia back so he could see her teary nod. "Then know I want to protect you, I want you to live your childhood and when you turn eleven I'll come back and train you so we can get you ready to protect your loved ones. Okay." Thalia nodded and held up a hand, her fingers curled up except for her pinkie.

"Promise." Jaune looped his own pinkie around hers and smiled at her.

"Promise; and remember that I never break my word. Now let's go get you a slice of pie, my treat." Just like that Thalia was all smiles and cheer again as she ran over to the lady selling pie. Jaune followed after her, opening his wallet to get the lien.

"On the house." Jaune looked up from fishing through is wallet to see Thalia chewing on a mouthful of pie, whipped cream forming a mustache and beard on her face, while the sales girl smiled at him. "Thalia hasn't smiled like that in a while, I'm happy to help the man that helped her do so." Jaune grinned at the girl and handed her the lien anyway.

"Thanks but I don't need a reward for that." Jaune slipped his wallet in his pocket and picked Thalia up as she munched on her treat. "She's just too cute not to want her smiling." Turning around to head back to the town square Jaune didn't notice the blush on the sales girl.

Thalia fell asleep on the way back after she finished her pie, the day finally catching up to her. That was how Jaune handed her off to Bacchus, fast asleep with a pie-stained mouth and her toy sword clutched in her hand. The rest of her goodies in a plastic bag he gave the elderly man.

"Heard about what you promised her, whole town probably knows about it. You do plan on coming back boy?" Bacchus' question ends in a glare that narrows off when Jaune nods.

"Of course, I made a promise to her." Bacchus nods, a smile on his face.

"Good, having a former Beacon student training her will be good." Jaune stares at him in shock; having made no mention of his past. "Come now, you were in the first two rounds of the Festival. Maybe you got overlooked by most for the flashier contenders and with Nikos beside you but I was amazed by your tactics. So why aren't you back at school." Jaune clenches his fist as the image of his former friends goes through his mind. He hated them; he might keep it buried most of the time but he really and truly hated them.

"My former team found someone better and the rest of my former friends supported replacing me."

"Then they're fools." Jaune sends a grateful smile to the man before saying his goodbyes and heading towards the inn.

"_So Master, got yourself a Squire now?" _

"_Squire?"_

"_Kind of a combination of a servant and apprentice. You going to make that girl your squire?" _Jaune snorted as he lay down on his bed.

"_Nope, I'll just give her a leg up when the time comes."_ His piece said Jaune closes his eyes.

Dreams are something that he had unknowingly traded away once he took of the Class Cards. His nights were filled with the memories of the Heroic Spirits. Mordred and Diarmuid's were a mix of their times spent in royal courts or bloody battles while Medusa's had so far been her time on her island as she slowly descended into madness. This was none of that; if anything it was worse. He was watching someone carry a green-hair baby out into the woods; the intent clear. The perpetrator drops the basket holding the child none too gently and leaves the baby crying. Jaune can only watch as a pack of wolves comes into view, his stomach twisting at what he's about to see only for the wolves to run.

Jaune can't blame them, even in a memory the feeling washing over him is clear. This is divine power, emanating from a silver-haired woman that comes into view, her hair casting a shadow on her face and obscuring her features as she leans over to pick up the child. The baby's cries ending as the woman holds her close.

"Hello little one. Such a horrible man to throw you away for being born a girl but don't you worry. I know someone who would love to raise you, let's take you to your new family …."

"AAAHHHH" Screams and gunshots are what awaken Jaune from his dream. The smell of fire filling his nose, Jaune is up in an instant; snatching the cards before running out the room down the stairs of the inn.

"Install Lancer!" By the time he hits the ground Jaune is decked out in a high-collared, green bodysuit, matching armor on one shoulder and his arms. Black boots with the metal toe guards replaced his own. In his grip were two spears: Gae Buidhe ,the yellow spear, that dealt wounds that never healed and Gae Dearg ,the red spear, that pierced through all magic. On the ground floor a man was pointing a gun at the inn's owner and his wife, a twisted grin on his face. When the sound of Jaune hitting the floor caught his attention he turned only to see Gae Buidhe a second before it pierced his eye before skewering his brain.

"Stay inside and hide!" Jaune ran outside after shouting out to the couple, his voice now a mix of his and Diarmuid. The bandit's corpse sliding of his spear as he ran outside to find a nightmare. Bandits were chasing people, shooting anything they pleased and stealing the rest. One had a woman pinned to the wall, tearing away at her clothes.

"Time for some fun swee…ACCCKKK!" The bandit's voice was cut off as a spear ran through his side. Jaune kicking his body off the spear and quickly handing the woman her assaulter's gun before running off, unable to stay longer. A group of three bandits entered his vision as he turned a corner, a corpse by their feet as they laughed.

"Fucking bastards!" All three died in a second, decapitated by the spears. Another two were came around the corner and shared their fate.

"Uhhh." A weak groan caught Jaune's attention and he turned to see the girl that manned the pie stall lying against a wall, blood stains all over her white shirt. The spear-wielder was by her side in a second, his heart sinking as he took in the amount of blood and bullet holes he saw.

"Hey! Come on, you got to stay awake!" The girls eyes were dull, the life he saw in them yesterday nearly gone. For a second clarity seemed to return to the girl.

"Oh it's you. Heh, I suppose it's better to die with you as my last sight."

"Hey, stop talking like that!"

"I really was looking forward to tomorrow; I planned to take up most of the space on your dance card." Jaune felt tears well up in his eyes. He didn't even know this girl but here she was bleeding out in his arms and nothing he could do about it.

"Yeah, just hold on and you can have that. Hell we can spend the whole-time dancing if you want, just hang on." The girl raised a bloodstained hand and put it against his cheek.

"You shouldn't promise a girl a good time if you can't deliver. Ma..make sure Thalia smiles again oka.." She's gone with that, the life fully leaving her eyes. Jaune grits his teeth as he rubs his eyes.

"Well look a…AHHHHH!" The bandit that spoke was slammed into the ground, both spears through his chest. Jaune pulled them out and then speared the man through once more, this time through the neck and the right lung.

"I'm going to kill all of you. Every last stinking one of you are going to die today."

"What's was that!" Jaune lunges at the sound of more bandits, spearing another one through and forcing her body between him and the bandits behind his victim. Bullets riddle the female bandit and with a heave Jaune tosses her body at the shooters. The corpse hits one and sends him flying back into a wall with a sickening crunch leaving three more.

"UAHHHH!" Jaune leaps into the air both spears ready to strike. The bandits fire at him but each bullet that would hit him is swatted away by his spears. When he lands he spears through the two on the sides while slamming his feet into the middle one, crushing her neck underneath his boots.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Jaune turns to glare at the voice and is met with thirty bandits pointing their weapons at a majority of Shion's population. Bacchus is on the ground with a bullet wound on a shoulder while Thalia is crying by his side. "Drop the spears or these people get it." Jaune stands up, looking over the situation before uninstalling Lancer, knowing he can't do anything. Despite how fast he was some of the bandits would have time to empty their clips before he dealt with them. The man in charge blinks as the boy's clothes and weapons change but shrugs it off as a semblance of some kind.

"That was the right move kid now then you're go…" The bandit stops talking and glares at Thalia. "Someone shut that brat up!" One bandit turns his weapon on Thalia and Jaune screams at them to stop alongside the rest of the town. Their words mean nothing, the man shoots. The silence following the shot is even more deafening than the shot itself, bloods staining the ground where Thalia once stood.

"GRANDPA!" Bacchus lay dead on the ground, a bullet hole in his head. The old man had managed to shove his granddaughter out of the way at the cost of his life.

"DAMM IT! Now we got to blow the safe rather than make that old coot tell us. Now shut the little bitch up right now." Jaune growled as his hand unconsciously grabbed a card. "Hey you stop moving!"

"_They dare threaten a child! TAKE MY POWER! KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE MONSTERS! SEND THEM TO THE FIELDS OF PUNISHMENT!"_

"With pleasure; INSTALL ARCHER!" Everyone was forced to cover their eyes as a harsh light erupted from Jaune's position. A twang filled the air as well as screams and when everyone could see once more all the bandits but the leader were dead. Jaune stood in front of them, a blueish-green jacket over a black undershirt and shorts combo. Tall black boots with yellow soles replaced his own. Black metal gauntlets went covered his hand to his elbows. A massive black bow highlighted with yellow was held in his hands. His hair was now streaked with green; a pair of feline ears sticking up from the hair while a blonde tail swished angerly behind him. His eyes burned with rage. The arrow that was nocked flew and pierced the bandit leader's hand; forcing him to drop his weapon. By the time it hit the ground another arrow had formed in Jaune's hand and been nocked and shot; this time piercing the man's knee.

"AHHH!" The bandit screamed as he hit the ground, looking up he saw the boy glaring down at him and in his fear at the sight the bandit's bowels betrayed him. Another arrow was nocked, ready to plunge into the man. "Wa…wait I'm not the one in charge! I can tell you where to find my boss!" The man took the fact he still breathed to continue and began to spout out directions and coordinates. "There, so you'll let me live!"

"SCCHKKK!" The man collapsed to the ground; dead with an arrow sticking out of his eye. Jaune looked at the remaining villagers with a dead look in his eyes.

"I'll go finish this for good. Start burying your dead and use the rest for fertilizer. Let them have a bit of value for once." Jaune then walked over to Thalia, getting down on one knee and kissing the girl on the top of her head. "I'm sorry I couldn't save him. Hate me all you want once I return but allow me to grant your wish." Jaune's gaze slipped to Bacchus, anger filling his heart at the sight of the kind man's body. It was with that Jaune began to run, he ran towards the spot the bandit had said he would find the leader. His prey, that was what he was after.

"_I apologize for not aiding you sooner. Perhaps if I had that girl would not cry so. From here on I swear my utmost loyalty to you Master. I, Atalanta, offer my power to you so that you may hunt down your foes." _Memories filled Jaune with the name. Whatever distrust Atalanta had held for him becoming perfectly clear with each one. Most men had brought her nothing but trouble; the fact he looked like one of the worst offenders clearly aiding in that distrust.

"_Doesn't matter now, let's just finish this hunt and ease a little girls sorrow."_

_** #%$!#$**_

"Mam." Raven looked up from her desk, a map filled with notes on it. Each one designating how much time had passed since an area had been raided. The bandit leader stared at Vernal, awaiting whatever it was that had her second-in-command disrupt her while she was planning the tribes next move. "This was just shot into camp." Vernal held out a bloody arrow, a piece of paper wrapped around the shaft.

"Who got hit and did they live."

"Copper, mam. He didn't make it, hit him right in the jugular." That caught Raven's attention, the odds of hitting that area at random were low meaning someone had sniped the man. Raven unrolled the message and snorted.

"_You sent your men to kill and rape. You threatened the lives of children. This catastrophe is of your own making." _

"Another threat from some vengeful fool; at least this one has some strength. I'll go find this archer an…"

"INCOMING!"

Artillery. That was the one thing Raven could think of when the explosions started. The last time she heard something like this it was when she had seen Atlas bombard a Grimm horde with some mobile artillery. Raven rushed outside, slipping her mask on and drawing her blade as she did so. Outside she found green blasts of energy raining down on her camp. With a growl she sent a blast of lighting to hit a cluster of them as she called everyone near her. Vernal and twenty others made it, a mere third of her force. With further use of the Spring Maiden's power Raven managed to protect herself and those around her till the barrage finally ended. Her camp was in ruins, bodies littered the ground, her walls were in ruins, and their tents were in pieces. The last one would be the hardest to replace. People seeking money and protection were easy to find, wood was all around them, high-quality tents however weren't as easy to acquire as she'd like.

"Boss look over there!" Raven looked where the idiot that gave away their position and condition to the enemy gesture just in time to catch the arrow that flew by head before burying into the shouter's open mouth. From the smoke the bowman emerged, her first thought was he was a faunus at the sight of his tail but then she caught the ears. Faunus should only have one trait that extreme yet he had two, a genetic mutation then. The man nocked another arrow that appeared out of nowhere, there was no trace of a quiver on his person.

"So you're the head bitch of these monsters. I can smell all the blood on you; HOW MANY INNOCENTS HAVE YOU KILLED? HOW MANY CHILDREN'S LIVES HAVE YOU CUT SHORT!?" The arrow flew and Raven cut it in two.

"GAHHH!" Raven's eyes widened and she spun around, expecting another enemy behind her only to find two of her men clutching at their chest, half a shaft sprouting from each of their chests. Instinct saved her, she felt the arrow flying at her chest and created a wall of ice to stop it. She smirked; this man was strong. He used her to hit two men with one arrow, successfully gambled on her believing another enemy was behind her, and then played upon her exposing her back rather than holding onto a notion of honor and waiting for her to face him. On top of that those two men he hit had aura, meaning he was shooting with enough force to punch through the protection aura provided. If only she had met him before he took his weapon up against her.

"Spread out, form a circle, shoot when you can." Raven trusted Vernal to follow her orders and make sure the others did as she charged the archer. Three arrows went flying her way, each one cut down. Raven slid to a stop in front of her foe and sliced at him. He put his bow between them and pushed up. Not only did the bow stop her blade but he forced her arms up. Quick as a flash his bow was ready to shoot an arrow into her heart only for him to jump to the side as a lance of earth erupted thanks to her power. Raven sent more after him, forcing him to run as her people shot at him.

Yet even with all that he still managed to get accurate shots off at her. Each one was cut down but Raven noted the blade was cracking. She sheathed her weapon, unwilling to risk the blade breaking during a barrage of arrows and therefore needing to replace it. Black filled her vision as she was thrown back, the bow colliding with her head. Even as her head rang from the blow Raven put together the archer's plan, he had forced her to set aside her weapon while acting like he couldn't close the distance. All so he could hit her, using the bow as a club just added to the unpredictability and insured she couldn't react. Her mask broke, any protection it offered her eyes was now gone. She rolled away and glared at the archer who glared back.

"Those fucking eyes!" Raven lunged at him only for her sword to be swatted away; the archer spinning with the momentum of his parry and coming around to face her with two arrows nocked. She weaved around them and lashed out, shooting fire out with her sword swing and hitting him. A pained howl left his throat as he was sent back, a couple bullets hitting him as well. "I didn't think I could hate you anymore and then I find you have the same eyes as that punch-happy bitch." Raven watched as an arrow formed from nothing in his hand and was nocked, another piece of paper wrapped around it.

"I offer thee…" Green energy began to wrap around the arrow. Raven charged at the archer, unwilling to see what would happen if he shot it. The man began to dodge and parry her strikes, only taking the ones that were nuisances at best. Adding to her assault Raven had lighting strike down at him but even that wasn't enough to stop him as he merely danced around the bolts. "… this calamity!" The archer's leg rushed at her, slamming into her gut and forcing her back. "PHOEBUS CATSTROPHE!" The archer launched his arrow up into the air, the projectile turning into a bolt of pure energy. Raven's eyes widen as she realizes what it is.

"Magic." Once the bolt reached its apex it exploded. From that more of those green projectiles rained down. Raven quickly slashed open a portal, knowing she couldn't dodge; she finished creating it none too soon. Her blade dropped from her fingers as an arrow pierced her wrist. Throwing herself into the portal Raven caught the sound on Vernal's screams, the artillery-like sound of the archers barrage, and the twang of his bow. Right as she entered the portal two more arrows slammed into her back. Darkness claimed her as she came out the other side.

"RAVEN!"

**!# $%$**

Coral, that was the salesgirl's name. Jaune had made sure to find out her name once he woke up after returning; using a Noble Phantasm twice in a row after spending so long with a Card Installed had drained him and when he got back to Shion he fell asleep for almost half a day. When he woke up the next morning the dead were already buried. He spent the day helping with essential repairs and had grabbed a few Lilies. It was one of these he laid down at her grave; having already put one on Bacchus's resting place. The wedding was going on right now, the town needing something to help counter the grief the loss of a dozen friends and family had caused. Jaune didn't feel he had a right to stick around after failing to kill the leader of the people that caused this tragedy. He had stuck around long enough to ensure there were no Grimm in the area and Thalia was going to be taken care off before slipping out.

"_There was nothing you could have done." _Jaune snorted at Atalanta's comment, unwilling to believe it.

"_She is right Master, if you had attacked more would have died. You can't save everyone." _Jaune just nodded as he slung his pack over his shoulder. Eager to move on, a rumor had trickled into town with some new huntsman guards that an armored Grimm had been seen and that could only mean a Class Card was involved.

"Jaune!" the cry drew Jaune's attention as he turned to find Thalia running towards him. He stopped his trek and nearly stumbled when she slammed into his leg, her arms wrapping around his limb. "You didn't say good-bye." Jaune ran his hand through her hair.

"Didn't think you'd want to see me." Thalia glared up at him.

"That's stupid. You're going to teach me aren't you." Jaune smiled down at the little girl, amazed by her inner strength. Not even a day since her grandfather died and she had managed to pull herself together.

"_Children should not have to have this kind of strength." _Jaune partially agreed with the huntress

"_Yes, but this is the world we live in. Better she be strong than let this tragedy weigh her down for life." _Jaune knew Thalia was nowhere near okay but she had an entire village ready and more than willing to help her. Thalia slipped a slip of paper into Jaune's hand.

"Auntie Vivian's scroll number, you need to call at least once a week." Jaune took the paper, making a mental note to add it into his contacts.

"Right, I'll be back in a couple years and then we'll turn you into a force of nature." Thalia grinned up at him.

"Right!" Jaune gave Thalia a hug before sending her back towards Shion, keeping an eye on her till she was back inside the town.

"_Yep, she's your squire. We gotta teach her my fighting style!" _

"_Tch, you think such a barbaric way of fighting would suit her. I think a lance would be the perfect weapon for her."_

"_Umm, maybe mine would work well for her Master. It give her both close and long range options."_

"_You guys need to calm down, we have wait a few years to see how she grows." _Jaune was pleased that got the three of them to quiet down, all of them going off at once gave him a headache.

"_Master."_ Jaune gave a mental nod to Atalanta, letting her know he was listening. _"I don't like it that our prey escaped, more-so filth like that woman. I have her scent if we ever catch it again…."_

"_Yeah. The next time we meet; we turn her into a pincushion."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Well people really seem to like this one. Normally I wouldn't do this but one of the Spirits used this chapter isn't released to NA on FGO yet and won't until the Lostbelts arrive. So taking that into account I recommend looking up Red Hare before going any further. I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse. Beta read by Khor**

**Chapter 3: A Killer Stalks the Streets of Atlas**

Jaune looked around the decaying remains of Kuroyuri, the name sounding familiar for some reason beyond the rumors of an armored Grimm prowling the area around him that he couldn't place. Shrugging it off Jaune moved to the town center.

"_I don't like this Master, it's too quiet. This is when I'd strike." _Jaune took Medusa's words to heart. The fact that no wildlife had sought to make use of the town was telling of how dangerous the Grimm that lived here were.

"Install Rider." Jaune's senses switched focus. Gone was his sight and in exchange everything else skyrocketed. He gripped the two daggers in his hands as he 'embraced' Medusa's presence; calling upon her experience like this. He cocked his head to the side as the sound of a hoof hitting the ground reached him. One, two, closer and closer the sounds came. A breeze kicked up as something swung thought the air, Jaune stuck his tongue out and tasted the metal in the air. Crouching to the ground, his body bending in ways it couldn't before, Jaune readied himself for the assault.

"UAAHHHHH!" Jaune stumbled and clutched his ears as a screech assaulted his senses. Reacting on Medusa's instincts he rolled to the side. The sound of a charging horse justifying the action. Continuing to follow Medusa's lead Jaune performed a backflip, practically feeling the spear that pass through where he once stood. Landing on his feet Jaune through one dagger forward, the sound of flesh tearing letting him know his aim was true. Tugging on the chain to rip the dagger out of his opponent and into his hand Jaune took a leap back to put some distance between him and his opponent. Hoofs crashed against the earth; the wind whistled and Jaune twisted around the spear. A horse's whine combined with the sound of muscles tensing and the feel of mana flowing into the two frontal hooves makes Jaune leap back. The stone on which he once stood was demolished under the force of the horse's reinforced hooves.

'I can't get a good read on this thing. A spear is being used, armor is worn, yet I can't hear any sound of impact between the rider and the mount.' For a second he considered that it might be the centaur Chiron that Atalanta had mentioned but tossed that thought aside. The Teacher of Heroes would be shooting at him if anything. Jaune dodged to the side once more as the spear went by him only to feel something impact him.

"Gah!" A hand wrapped around him and sent him flying, slamming him into a wall where it began to squeeze. Fighting against the grip his attacker had on him Jaune shoved his daggers into the hand that caught him and with a screech his captor released him. Jaune hit the ground and clutched his ribs, a few more seconds and some might have cracked.

"_Master! Use my eyes!" _Jaune's hand flew to the blindfold on his face.

"Release; Breaker Gorgon." The blindfold faded away revealing eyes that were not Jaune's own. To call them eyes was perhaps a mistake; rather they were grey orbs that looked to be made of crystal. The pupils were squared, power practically radiating from them. With his sight restored Jaune took in his foe's appearance for the first time.

Unholy, that was the word to describe what he saw. A twisted abomination of a Grimm, the top half of a humanoid body sticking up from the back of a horse. The head was straight from a horror movie; a mouth taking up most of the space with two horns jutting from the forehead. The arms were abnormally long and thin; in one it held a spear and the other was reeling itself back in from pinning Jaune to the wall. Armor covered both the horse and the chest of the humanoid body. Jaune watched as the horse snorted and began to paw the ground while the other body raised the spear.

'It's resisting Cybele, five minutes till I'm out of energy. Time to bring out a mount of our own.' Jaune raised a dagger to his neck, grimacing as he did so. 'Oum I hate this part.' With that thought Jaune cut his throat, a fountain of blood erupting out and forming a magic circle; his throat healing after the blood was taken. Shooting out from the circle and into the air was Pegasus; the original winged horse. Jaune jumped onto the horse's back and the creature began to fly around the possessed Grimm.

"Rahhhhh!" the Grimm roared as it's foe danced in the sky around it. In a gut-wrenching display the humanoid body kept twisting its body around, all 360 degrees, as it sent it's stretchable limbs flying out to try and hit it but Pegasus flew around them with ease. Jaune kept Cybele on the Grimm and grinned as it began to slow down, the horse's hooves turning to stone. Whatever resistance the Grimm had held was wearing down.

"Okay boy, get me close." The winged-horse snorted in response and turned towards the spear-wielding Grimm. Picking up speed it rushed the creature, the entirety of the horse now turned to stone. With a grin Jaune hopped to his feet, keeping a grip on Pegasus's mane with one hand while forming a noose with the chain connecting his daggers with the other. In a blur Pegasus soared past the creature as Jaune jumping off as the chain wrapped around Grimm's neck. Planting his feet into the Grimm's back Jaune gripped one dagger in each hand and pulled. The Grimm thrashed and spun, desperately trying to shake him off as the chain around his neck tightened. Jaune forced more power to flow through his body, putting more power into his arms so that with one final heave it was finished.

The Grimm's remaining head popped off, crumbling into nothing before it even hit the ground, the rest of its body soon following. Jaune hopped off the rapidly disintegrating carcass and let out a sigh.

"Ahhh. That wasn't fun." Jaune stretched out a bit, trying to work the soreness out of his body that forcing a strength boost did. Looking to the side he caught sight of a dirty mirror, his reflection barely visible out of it. He went up to it as he began to Uninstall and took in the image. _"I always wondered why that goddess was jealous enough to curse you Medusa. The memories I saw never made it clear, you are a beauty but a goddess could match it. Now I know, your eyes are the most beautiful I've ever seen." _Until then Jaune had always considered Ruby's eyes as the most beautiful around; even through his crush on Weiss, his subsequent one on Pyrrha, and the destruction of their friendship he had always considered Ruby's striking silver eyes as the most beautiful he had ever seen. Medusa's eyes blew them out of the water, to call them a work of art didn't do them justice.

"_ M..mas..ter." _Jaune tilted his head as Medusa stuttered, unsure of what made her so nervous.

"_Master, I may concede you are better than most of your gender but please keep flirting to a minimum."_

"_Flirting, I was just speaking the truth. You've seen my life, I can't flirt to save it." _Jaune was confused by the squeal that he heard Medusa released. On one hand it suited her yet on the other it didn't fit with the image he had of her.

_Tch, wasteful. You jumped to soon into using the monster's eyes." _Jaune almost jumped at that; Medea had consented to work with him a day after Atalanta did but in the week since then he had heard her only a few time.

"_Hey, shut it Witch. Don't you…"_

"_Mordred, she's right. I underestimated that creature since it used a lance and assumed it would fall to Cybele's power. I mean look at this." _Jaune picked the card up off the ground to reveal it was a Rider class. _"It wasn't even a Lancer like I thought."_

"_Hmph, of course I'm right and don't you forget it brute. Master needs the guidance of a woman such as myself despite his tactical prowess." _Jaune opened his mouth to respond but stopped when Zelretch walked around the corner. Jaune instantly started to consider what brought him to collect the card so quickly, the fastest he had ever arrived before had been five hours.

"What has you here so early." Zelretch didn't respond, merely grabbing Jaune's arm. The knights eyes widened in response. "Oh no you do…" A flash of light and they were gone, the village once more deserted.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

Ozpin fought the urge to clean his ears at what he heard.

"I'm sorry could you repeat that." Qrow didn't blame his boss for what being confused; no matter how much the Headmaster had seen what he had just said broke so many fundamental rules.

"Raven's tribe got demolished, good riddance I say, by a faunus that had two traits and could use Magic. Also Raven is the Spring Maiden, she didn't say how long or how she got the power and I'd rather not ask." Ozpin nodded, aware of just how young the Spring Maiden could have been when Raven might have acquired the power. Qrow acknowledged his sister's mountain of faults but there were lines he liked to think she didn't cross, at least directly. "Right now she's still bedridden at Tai's; her arm will eventually heal but it will take a while. Meanwhile if one of the arrows Tai dug out of her back had been a little to the left it would have severed her spine. As it was she needs to take it easy standing up and walking." Qrow grew uneasy, the man taking a big gulp from his flask. "Do I need to bring her in." The part of placing her in the machine downstairs went unsaid.

"No, that won't be necessary. At least with Raven we know she can defend herself once she heals." With all the lines he had crossed, morals he had stomped on, sacrifices he had made, what was letting a woman lacking in morals such as Raven hold onto the Maiden's power. "What of her attacker?" Magic, something that only six people should be able to use at any time. Of those six he was the only male.

"Blond, tall, white-skin, lion's ears and tail, fangs as well apparently. Uses a large, black, metal bow and creates the arrows that he can apparently supercharge into, and I quote here, 'a magical artillery barrage'. Green and black color scheme along with black metal gauntlets. Based on what Raven said he shouted at her the guy seems to care a lot about children." The flask was emptied with Qrow's next gulp. "He knows Yang, doesn't like her but he knows her." Ozpin nodded at that. The double-trait issue was easily explained by mutation, rare but he had seen them before. Often the bearer hid one at least out of fear of stronger persecution but this could be an exception. Magic was the thing he was most concerned about.

"Have you met with your nieces? Asked them about any lion faunus they knew from Patch. He might have hid his tail at least." Qrow snorted at that.

"I did and they didn't know any. I told them I was in a town and heard someone claiming he learned from Yang and that I was curious if that was true." Qrow slumped in his seat.

"Qrow?" Ozpin looked at the man, rarely had he seen him so defeated as he did now.

"I'm worried Oz. Raven might actually be staying this time, what happened changed her. She cried, I haven't seen her do that since we were eight. What she did is going to come out and from what you told me my nieces have developed pendulums for moral compasses. Who knows how they'll react to my past. I never told them I was a bandit, just that me and Rav lived in a nomadic tribe before Beacon. Hell, my transcripts had almost as many lies as that Arc kid's." Ozpin held back a snort at that, despite the seriousness of a situation he could still remember how the Branwens' attempts at transcripts. Jaune Arc's might have been mediocre at best but those two had been horrible. Speaking of Jaune Arc.

"You haven't heard anything about the young Arc, have you?"

"Heard about a blond human that was wandering about Mistral's outer areas but the timeline doesn't fit. Started a few days before the kid might have feasibly gotten from the Emerald Forest to Vale and taken a Bullhead over there. Why the hell were the launch pads still working, I remember you telling me you always tripled checked they were off after someone accidently launched themselves unarmed into the forest.?" Ozpin took a sip of his drink before answering, remembering the terror he had felt when he saw the security camera footage showing Jaune heading to the cliff. Honestly using the launchers was better than him just jumping.

"Maintenance, I was thinking of doing a test for the third years which had them redoing the entrance exam after we herded some more dangerous Grimm into the area. It would test their ability to work with different people out of the blue. I wanted to make sure the things were working properly." Qrow nodded, making a note to tell Tai about the premise as the man might want to add that into Signal's curriculum.

"Right, last bit of business. These new creatures popping up, I've found at least 57 confirmed casualties from them. Almost half of them are from that one in Atlas, why isn't Jimmy doing something?!"

"First that one supposedly has another 12 added to the count after a recent slaughter; second James has tried to deal with it, 6 of those casualties were some of his people. Each one either a skilled huntress or a veteran soldier that could fight right alongside them; after that pressure from the Atlasian Council made him drop it as the attacks are occurring in the slums." Qrow scowled at that.

"Right, bet the Ice Queen's pops was more than happy for that to stop. Wouldn't want something coming to light with that kind of attention." Qrow's scow deepened as he thought of Winter's sperm donor. He had touched that button once and the sheer hatred with which the Specialist had responded with ensured he never did so again. He also remembered the eight months in which he had branded his 'employees' before the council had shut it down to preserve international relations. It was part of the reason he didn't like Ironwood all that much; the man knew about how horrible Jacques was yet did little more than contain him at best in the name of keeping order. Something Ozpin said then caught his attention. "Wait, supposedly?" Ozpin nodded.

"As you know the attacker has been cutting out the hearts of their victims, the last twelve still had their hearts but their spines had been cut into and drained of fluid." Qrow felt his stomach squirm.

"There's two of them, killers like that don't just change such a fundamental part of their process." Ozpin nodded at that.

"I don't think Salem is behind this, she has never had much need for theatrics such as this. Even her most insane followers haven't done anything this extreme; at worst her symbol has been carved into bodies here and there. No this is most likely a cult, a dangerous one to be sure but not something Salem has a direct hand in." Salem's father had used her to perform numerous rituals and as such she held a distain for anything similar; when they had acted as gods she had been the one to deny rituals and any living sacrifices in their name. He still had nightmares about the time someone thought they wanted virgin sacrifices and wanted to gut his daughter for them. "Those armored Grimm that rumors have spoken of, those are probably hers. Have any been confirmed?"

"Nope, I've been by a few and they were Geists that got ahold of some metal. I still haven't checked them all yet; been too busy trying to track down Torchwick after he escaped with no luck." Ozpin almost wanted to smack his forehead at that memory; Torchwick had gotten out of Ironwood's grip with practically no difficulty before disappearing. Nothing had been heard about him since. Ozpin looked out the window and sighed; far too much had happened over the past few months that didn't make sense. It was times like this that he wished he had stayed dead.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

"….n't!" Jaune realized it was too late as his surroundings had changed. Clamping a hand over his mouth he crouched and held back the urge to vomit; Zelrecth's means of moving about were hell on his stomach, far more than any means of mechanical transportation. His bag landed beside him as he fought his stomach.

"Well at least you didn't puke this time. Up and at them, you got work to do." Jaune glared at the vampire and shivered as a chill set through him. Reaching into his bag he pulled out a long-sleeved jacket that he threw on, buttoning it up and transferring the cards to one of the jacket's pockets.

"Why?" Jaune didn't even care how the man answered, just that he got some. Zelretch didn't speak but instead handed the Jaune a cutout from a newspaper. Jaune snatched from the man and read through it, his eyes widening more with each sentence.

"_Yesterday saw the death count at nearly fourty bodies. Authorities are unsure who is behind this bizarre string of murders and have only become more confused as a new element has been added. Until recently every victim has had their heart cut out from their body, the flesh around the area practically melted, but the last dozen or so have instead had their spinal cords dug out of the body and cut open, the spinal fluid apparently drained. Is this a new killer or has the culprit merely decided to change their calling card in an effort to confuse the authorities?" _Jaune starred at the paper in shock before noticing a timeline stating that this had only been going on for a week and a half. It was then he realized he was holding an Atlasian newspaper. His eyes going into the sky Jaune took in the site of the floating city that was the heart of Atlas.

"How did so many die so quickly?" For the first time since their first meeting Jaune saw a serious look come over Zelretch's face.

"I did a bit of digging, at first it was just a mass killing. A bachelor party made up the first two-dozen or so and everyone thought it was a onetime thing; also note that this is all occurring in the slums, this countries elite didn't care and still don't. When the killings continued some soldiers and huntsman were sent in, they died and nothing else was done. Then the second Spirit showed up."

"So the idea it was a second killer was correct."

"Yes, the first Spirit clearly only wanted the hearts, the area with the highest concentration of mana. Despite the people of this world not being able to use magic and magecraft you still have mana inside you, and no its not aura. That is an entirely different matter which I believe your people evolved in response the threat of Grimm. It's quite fascinating, the idea ….." Zelretch began to go into a scientific rant leaving Jaune feeling like he was back in Oobleck's class, if Oobleck ever had gave up caffeine.

"Zelretch! It's cold, you yanked me to a different continent, and I'm hungry. Hurry it up!" Zelretch starred at Jaune for a second before a deep chuckle rang out from the old man.

"Hahaha. You sounded so much like my apprentice right there. Alright, alright." Seriousness returned to the man's face while Jaune sent a prayer to whoever was cursed to study under the vampire. "A second Spirit, most likely Caster class must have possessed someone. That person must also be working with the Spirit." Jaune felt his insides freeze at that.

"What? You said these spirits were incapable of that." A sheepish look came over the man.

"I didn't take into account what would happen if a person shared extreme similarities to a Spirit. My apprentice's lover was actually the one to raise the question, the boy has experience with the multiverse concept as he once had a version of himself from a possible future try to kill him." Jaune starred at Zelretch with shock. "Moving on, if a person shares extreme similarities with a Spirit in a Class Card the possession will be more similar to yours. They won't communicate with the Spirit as you do but they will be enhanced as well as gain compulsions to act like the Spirit does. That is why this Spirit doesn't take the hearts"

"And the reason for the … uggh, spinal fluid."

"Whoever it is wants to create mages."

"_No, what fool would go down such a path." _The pit in Jaune's stomach only froze as he heard the shock in Medea's voice, the Caster-class servant wasn't one to have boundaries or a high-level of morals as shown by her attack on Jason's wedding.

"_Medea?"_

"_Mystic Spinal Fluid, a way to temporarily turn an ordinary person into a mage or enhance ones own magecraft. I'm perfectly capable of creating it myself but it's addictive, temporary, and can destroy the body of a non-mage as the temporary Circuits may cook the body depending on how much and often magecraft is used. As a said only fool would waste time on such a concoction."_

"I see Medea filled you in, yes that is most likely what the current goal of the Caster is. The other Spirit has most likely reached a level where they can assume a form beyond a mere shadowy cutout."

"You said there were three cards in Atlas, what of the third?"

"Dormant and still is, ignore it for now and focus on these two." Jaune didn't push for more, understanding why the dimension-hopping mage wanted him to focus on the two that were slaughtering people. Picking up is bag Jaune nodded at Zelretch, waving goodbye as he walked towards the ground-based town in front of him.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

"_This place is an utter hellhole! What the fuck is wrong with the people running this place." _Jaune couldn't help but agree with Mordred, not even three hours in and he began to understand why even Velvet, one of the kindest people he had ever met, had nothing nice to say about the majority of Atlas. The slums/mining town Jaune found himself wandering was filthy, smoke-ridden, and filled with people that clearly slept on the streets. The worst part was all the injuries he saw: burns, cuts, dirty bandages, missing appendages, all that and more. Atlasian Drones stood at various street corners, their guns already in a position to fire.

"_Please Mordred, you know slums are a fact of civilization. Every society has them and they always will." _Medea's opinion rang in Jaune's ears, disturb at how at ease she seemed to be with this sight.

"_I know that Witch, even Camelot had them. Yet Father still ensured they had the closest to the bare minimum possible and were protected. This looks like a hamlet that suffered an enemy occupation."_

"_The children…" _Jaune caught sight of what the children Atalanta meant, a group of three small faunus kids with two of them leading the third. The child's milky white eyes revealing he was blind.

"_And Atlas wonders why the White Fang demonize them." _Jaune might not support the extremes they had gone to but look around him and noting that nearly two-thirds of the population appeared to be faunus made him understand why Sienna Khan was willing to go to more drastic measures.

"Come now Penny, we must finish checking on the drones in this section by 14:00 in order to report in on time." Jaune's attention was taken by the two girls that walked past him and towards the drone, students of Atlas academy. Jaune recognized the one in a green dress, she had almost been Pyrrha's first opponent in the Finals before she had been replaced. Something about her having a medical apparatus inside her and Ozpin warning Ironwood about Pyrrha's semblance. Not wanting to take a risk the girl had been replaced by her partner, C… something, he didn't really remember her that much. Atalanta's voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

"_Master, someone is following them." _It wasn't that hard to figure out what she meant, a canine faunus of some kind was following behind the two students. A knife in his hand and hatred in his eyes.

"_Nothing to worry about." _The stalker got close to his target and lunged at Penny, the girl tilting her head back dodging his strike before shoving a palm into his gut. The man flew back a few feet and moaned from his place on the ground. _"They're huntresses in training."_ Beside him another man spun around and leveled a pistol at them, even with his nearly nonexistent knowledge on firearms Jaune could tell the weapon was barely functional from the grim covering it and how old it looked. Reaching out Jaune gripped the gun and sent aura into his hand, enhancing his strength as he squeezed down. When he removed his hand the would-be shooter starred at his crushed weapon with shock. His gaze never leaving it till Jaune slammed an elbow into his jaw, sending him to the ground out-cold. The two girls came up to him, the drone following behind them and pulling a pair of handcuffs from a compartment built into its body.

"While unnecessary I thank you for your aid. It would have been a waste of time to deal with him as well." Jaune simply nods, finding the girl's monotone voice disconcerting when compared to the girl beside her that wouldn't stop smiling.

"Hey, I know you." Jaune's attention shifted to Penny, the girl pointing at him with a beaming smile on her face. "You are Ruby's friend, Jaune Arc." A frown made its way onto his face, Jaune could already tell this wasn't going to be fun. "Why are you not at Beacon?" Jaune gritted his teeth and started to walk off.

"Things happened." The girl was in front of him in a second, curiosity on his face.

"What things?" Jaune decided to just rip the band-aid off, if this girl was close to Ruby she'd probably just call the reaper later.

"My team replaced me." He tried to walk around the girl but she stepped in front of him, a frown showing on her face, for the first time a smile wasn't on her face.

"Why would they do that." Jaune wasn't the one to answer.  
"You saw their matches Penny, Mr. Arc was far below their level. Clearly they decided to not take the risk he would hold them back." Jaune fought the urge to punch the girl behind them, knowing it wouldn't end well. Penny's frown only deepened at her classmate's answer.

"But why leave Beacon, surely they could have found you another team. Ruby must also be upset that her friend left." That was the last straw, Jaune wasn't going to put up with this girl poking and prodding at him for another second and her classmates attitude set him on edge as well.

"No, she won't. Ruby befriended my replacement and tossed me aside alongside the rest of them. Why would I stay at a place where they would constantly be around me?" Horror filled Penny's eyes at his words.

"Ruby wouldn't do that, she is a loyal and kind friend." Jaune snorted at that, remembering how cookies had been the final nail in the coffin.

"Yeah, until she decides it's time for an upgrade. The next, and better, model came along and so she got rid of the old one. Once version 2.0 showed up I became obsolete in her eyes." Jaune watched as Penny looked completely horrified by the time Jaune was finished and didn't even resist as he pushed her aside. The knight intended to find a place to set up base and ready himself to go hunting that night for the Spirits.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

Penny stared at the scroll in her hands as she waited for Ruby to pick up. Jaune Arc's words had stuck with her. He might not have known how literal his choice of words were for her but Penny knew that another model was being made, one that was supposed to be more effective and stronger. What would happen to her once that was done; Ciel and her father hadn't answered while General Ironwood waved it off. Finally her friend picked up with smile on her face.

"Hey Penny, how have things been in Atlas." Penny looked at her friend, taking in how cheerful she was. The android's research into human bonds and emotions had led her to the conclusion that the loss of a friend should lead to a feeling of loss for a considerable length of time yet Ruby showed no signs of sadness.

"Greetings Friend Ruby, I have been well. How have you been since the festival." Ruby smiled at her and began to describe the events of the past few months.

"… and I made a new friend. His name is Alistair and he is so cool. We've been working on improving everyone's weapons and he makes great cookies. We also managed to make some really cool team attacks together." Penny felt like her body was rusting, her faith in Ruby shrinking by the second.

"That is nice, how has your friend Jaune been? He sounded rather nice when you spoke of him." Ruby froze and Penny's fears were confirmed, Jaune Arc had told her the truth. "You actually did it." Ruby looked at Penny in confusion as the robotic girl panic made itself known. "You threw him away for the next model." Ruby's eyes widened at her friends words. "You got an upgrade, is that what you planned to do when my successor was created? Did you plan to just keep me around until she was created?!"

"What?! Penny n.." Penny ended the call, unwilling to hear more. Ruby, her only friend when she thought about it, was not someone that would keep her around once a superior option came around.

"Penny, I have a mission for you." Penny was drawn from her thoughts as her father contacted her through the built-in communication device inside her.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

Sitting in an abandoned house Jaune had come to a conclusion. Medea was terrifying, plain and simple. Her Installation had the least changes to his appearance, merely giving him her hooded cloak and pointed ears, compared to the destructive might of Mordred and Atalanta or Medusa's chilling abilities one could be forgiven for feeling that Medea was less dangerous. Jaune would call those people fools.

True, Medea was incapable of handling direct combat but she had access to magecraft that was a city leveling bomb compared to the firecracker that was anything aura or dust could do: skeletal warriors, beams of light, the ability to freeze people in place using the air around them, bending nature to her will. Yes, in Jaune's eyes anyone that underestimated Medea deserved whatever befell them. Currently he was using a scrying ball Medea had helped him create to keep track of the area while wooden dolls he had enchanted prowled around; seeking mana that the rouge Spirits would be leaking.

"_Very good Master, even with my help I didn't expect you to do such a good job." _Jaune felt pride at that, Installing Medea was far less instinctual than the others. Instead she was a guiding voice in his ear, telling him how to do what he wanted to. Accepting the praise Jaune focused on the orb in front of him, the streets empty. Even the homeless had found a way to get off the streets, all terrified of the killers that stalked the night. A flash of color caught his eye as he flipped between the various viewpoints the dolls provided. It was Penny, carrying the backpack that he remembered holding her weapon.

"What the hell is she doing out here?" Before he could question the girl's mental state in being out alone a flash of movement caught one of the dolls attention; sending him an alert and switching the orb to its viewpoint. When the orb settled the area was clear and another doll's alarm went off, followed by another, and another. Pulling up a three-dimensional map of the dolls' placements he noticed that the one's going off were in a straight line to Penny. Flipping the orb back to the doll that saw the girl he found her jumping back as two throwing knives embedded themselves in the ground.

The skeletal mask was the first thing to catch his eye, the smoky-grey skin was next. The Spirt was female, wearing a black body-suit with a diamond cutout around her belly. Black, vein-like patterns decorated her skin. Steam rose up from the ground where she stood.

"_Fascinating, her very body is a powerful poison." _Jaune watched and took in Medea's words. He saw the ground begin to melt as the Spirit stood still. Penny sent a blade flying at the Spirit and the masked woman danced around it, running a hand along the blade as she avoided it. Penny retracted the blade but it crumbled into nothing before it even reached her.

"Shit, time to go!" Jaune hopped out the window, his cloak spreading and forming 'wings' that he used to fly towards the battle. _"Medea, thoughts?" _

"_Long distance is your friend and constructs can only be relied on for momentary distractions. I can already tell her poison will melt even magic with time. Wear her down before trying in kind of magical restraint and don't bother setting up a perimeter; anything you make will be rushed and easily slipped through by this Assassin class servant."_

"_Got it, let's hope we're not too late." _Medea sighed at her Jaune's statement.

"_You do understand that the moonlit world is meant to stay secret. If this girl tells people about you .._

"_This isn't your world! I'm not going to let someone die just so a few secrets of mine can be kept, I didn't kill any of the people from Shion and I'm not going to start with a girl that wants to become a huntress." _Medea didn't speak up so he knew she let the issue drop.

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Penny clutched her arm, the appendage melting away from where her opponent had gotten a grip on her. Seeing the decay spread up Penny commanded one of her three remaining blades to sever the arm at the shoulder to prevent it from spreading to her body. Her sensors registered the limb falling away and automatically began to recalibrate her body to adjust for the loss of the limb. Sending two blades at the dark-skinned woman she took the opportunity to take a few steps back; aiming to retreat as soon as possible. A knife stopped that plan, the blade tearing into her knee and forcing her to drop to the working one as her legs could no longer sustain her weight.

'_Unit's weight can no longer be supported. Initiating emergency beacon.' _Despite the beacon going off Penny knew she wouldn't make it through this. She had only one blade left, the two she had thrown as a distraction destroyed. As the assailant silently stalked towards her she brought her final blade into play, hoping to keep the woman back until help could arrive. It was all for not as the sword crumbled away just like the rest of them. Fear filled Penny as the woman reached out towards her, knowing that only one touch was needed to kill her.

Light, bright purple light was what saved her. A beam of it smashing into the woman and throwing her back, a cloaked figure landing in front of her.

"Stay behind me and these guys." Penny recognized the voice at that of Jaune Arc but could not see any other people. Instead she only saw Jaune throw some large teeth into the earth before throwing a hand forward and shooting lightning at the woman. Penny's attention was drawn to the ground at four large skeletons, large skeletal mouths taking the place of skulls, crawled up from the ground. Each one held a large blade in their hands that they held at the ready as they took up a formation around her.

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

"Come and get some you bitch!" Jaune's cloak snapped open and he took to the air; trying to draw her attention away from Penny. _'A robot, did not see that one coming. No wonder they didn't want her fighting Pyrrha.' _Jaune had very much noticed the wires protruding from her arm and the sparks coming from her injured knee. The Assassin followed him, clearly drawn to the amount of energy he was putting out. Holding a hand out he followed Medea's whispered instructions and sent a gout of flame at the Spirit.

"_Behind!"_ Jaune canceled his flight, letting gravity take him out of the way of the knives that were sent at his back before reactivating the magecraft. Jaune spun around to see a grey palm rushing towards his face, a white skull mask practically glaring at him. A slapped together magical shield sprang into existence between him and the Spirit, her touch melting it within seconds. Yet those seconds enabled him to fly around her and slam a chunk of ice into her back. As the corrupted Spirit fell to the ground Jaune created and sent more teeth flying into the ground, the Dragon Tooth Warriors that sprouted rising with their swords already pointed at the enemy. The masked woman was impaled of three blades, each one melting within seconds with the Warriors that held them falling soon after but the damage was done. Energy leaked from her wounds, the severity of which couldn't be ignored even with all the lives she had consumed for fuel.

Three knives were sent flying at Jaune which he knocked out of the way with a staff. When his attention turned back to the Spirit he saw she was making a break for Penny, clearly hoping to drain the girl of energy in order to heal. Purple 'eyes' formed on the inside of his cloak as Jaune called upon Medea's favorite offensive spell, Rain of Light: The eyes glowing brighter with each millisecond. Right as the assassin was an inch from the first Warrior he had guarding Penny he fired, multiple beams of energy slamming into the Spirit and driving her into the ground. Pointing his staff at the air above the spirit a large magical circle formed, with a flick downward the circle fired a larger beam and struck the Spirit. As the beam died down Jaune descended to the crater and snatched up the Class Card as he Uninstalled Medea.

"One down." Tucking the card away Jaune made his way back to Penny, finding her right as the Warriors collapsed and dissolved as he stopped feeding them energy. "Are you okay?" Penny nodded, looking at him in shock. A robot, a robot that he knew produced aura. Jaune was having to force himself not to wonder how she had a soul.

"So, do you need … ackh!" Jaune was cut off as a large hand made of stone grabbed him, swinging him around before slamming him into the ground. When his vision cleared he saw that a vaguely-humanoid creature was pinning him down, the entirety of its body was made of stone except for a single purple gem placed at the center of its chest. All the Spirits were shouting at him in concern, he tried to reach for a card but the creature's grip had his arms pinned to his sides. He struggled against the creature's grip but it simply slammed him into the ground again.

"Jau…" Jaune saw Penny reach out for him from the corner of his eye only for her eyes to go dim and she collapsed to the ground like a puppet who's strings were cut.

" You disappointed me Penny, I had such high hopes for you. I prayed that this desire to be human was just a phase, instead you have become more like them. Such a waste, I'll have to purge you and try again." Jaune looked to the other side to see a man in a lab coat walking forward, a golden helmet covering his head and a remote in his hand. A growl rang out in Jaune's ears that he didn't recognize. "Now you, you interest me. I had hoped to just obtain some more materials for my experiments but it appears miracles can occur. Such a unique specimen in possession of abilities like the ones I have obtained; I look forward to finding out all your secrets." Jaune growled, taking in the man that had merged with a Spirit.

"Sorry, confidentiality clause in my contract." Jaune had the feeling that the man behind the mask was smirking at him.

"I wasn't planning on asking." The last thing Jaune saw was a boot slamming into his head as darkness claimed him.

**So hope you all enjoy this chapter. Spring break is coming up soon for me so I hope to increase the output of chapters for a while when it roles around. Also I'm looking for someone that would be interested in writing a reaction story for Deck of Heroes. PM me if you would be interested in doing so.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright duskrider has taken up writing a reaction story for this so go give it a look everyone. It's titled _Reading: Deck of Heroe_s and already has the first two chapters posted. Now on with the show and all that. I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse. Beta read by Khor**

**Chapter 4 – Electric Rage and Cold Blood**

Ruby lay curled up in a ball on her partner's bed, just like she had since Penny had called her. The robotic girls accusations ringing in her ears. Her team was surrounding her, trying to comfort their young leader.

"Hey, Sis come on. All you need to do is explain things to Penny, make her hear your side." Ruby looked up at Yang with teary eyes, her lips quivering.

"I… I tried but her partner answered and said she was on a mission that she needed rep … rest before she could talk." Inwardly Ruby cursed herself for her near slip, knowing that spilling her secret would only drive Penny further away. Her partner's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Come on Ruby, you and I both know that Penny is … social stunted?" Weiss looked at her uncertain but Ruby nodded. She was socially awkward, Penny was stunted by her lack of general knowledge. "She probably just misunderstood something, did she say how she found out?" Ruby shook her head, the conversation still playing vividly in her head. "Then she probably found out on a social media page or something. Believe me when I saw everything gets twisted around on one of those." Ruby looked up, hearing the words but not believing them.

"I don't know gu…. Ow." Ruby clutched her head as a spike of pain lanced through it. Yang was sitting beside her and looking her up and down within a second.

"Rubes, you okay?" Ruby nodded right before knock on the door caught their attention. Alistair's voice following soon after.

"Team RWBY, Nora wants an eating contest again. You girls ready to lose again." Blake opened the door to reveal the former transfer student standing there with a grin on his face, the grin dropping when he saw Ruby. "What's up with Ruby?" Blake looked back at her leader and the young girl gave Blake a nod.

"A friend of hers decided she didn't want to be friends with her anymore." Ruby hid her face behind her hands, a fresh wave of sorrow hitting her.

"She thought I was going to replace her, she thinks I replaced Jaune with you." With all the attention on Ruby the all-female team missed the smirk that crossed Alistair's face for a second before concern replaced it.

"Come on Ruby you know that wasn't true." The reaper looked up at the black-haired boy and after getting permission he walked in and took a seat on the other side of Ruby. "You were still friends with Jaune when he left and if you guys ever met up again you'd still be friends. I don't know how this friend of yours heard about this but clearly she is misunderstanding what happened." Ruby rubbed her eyes before looking towards the newest member or PARN

"But you …" Ruby trailed off, partially because she didn't want to think about how Jaune was removed from his team and partially because another bout of pain, this one much milder, shot through her head. Alistair rubbed the back of his head at her unspoken words.

"Yeah, maybe that could have been handled better but it was for the best. Arc was just going to get himself hurt." Ruby saw her team nod at his words, agreeing with what he had to say. Ruby grimaced at the thought of Jaune getting hurt or worse dying.

'Maybe, maybe he's right. I mean Jaune was so far behind but on the other hand he was catching up so fast." Before Ruby could think on it more Alistair spoke up again.

"Now come on, Nora won't wait forever to show you up again." Ruby couldn't even react before Yang snatched her up.

"No way am I losing again. Come on Ruby, you gotta cheer me on!" Yang rushed out the door with Ruby over her shoulder, their partners chasing after them and Alistair behind them. The male stayed back for a second to close the door and the girls rounded a corner. When they were out of sight Alistair's let out a sigh.

'Thank you WBY for being so easy, if I had to bother with the three of you this would be so much harder.' Alistair smirked as he made his way to the cafeteria, happy in the fact his position was secure and wouldn't be questioned again.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

Dreams, the untold price he paid for accepting the Class Cards. Ever since he had taken those Class Cards his dreams were not flights of fancy or his subconscious making itself known; instead he spent each night learning about his Heroic Spirits. Jaune embraced these visions, eager to learn more about the people that had sworn their aid to him. This time two sets of dreams came to him.

The first were filled with pain. A young girl, a patchwork of other people's body parts, brought to life as the Eve of a new species. In Jaune's opinion her creator was filth, he expected the girl to be perfect from the get-go, planning to impregnate her himself to produce the Adam. Yet when she failed to meet his standards, when her childlike wonder and misunderstandings terrified him, he tore her to pieces and threw her away. Yet she persevered, she put herself back together and hunted him down.

She demanded one like her, one to become her mate and was denied. She killed and killed and killed, hunting down her creators loved ones to deny him the companionship he denied her. When he fled she chased him down, and when he died to deny her a mate she burned herself on a pyre to escape a life of solitude. The cruelest part from Jaune's perspective was the fact she wore a wedding dress from the moment she put her body back together till her death, a physical image of her desire for companionship and love that would never be fulfilled.

Death, death was the only way to describe the second set of memories. From the boy killing his father for turning their home into a den of Dead Apostles to innocents that had the misfortune of being in the blast radius. The man he watched spent his life killing over and over, not a week going by without a corpse dropping. That was how he spent his life, alone and surrounded by death as hunted down Magi that delved into forbidden practices. He became the boogeyman of Magi, the Magus Killer that haunted the shadow. In the end he died cold and alone in an alley, bleeding out and struck with the knowledge that he had changed almost nothing in the long run. Magi, magi were monsters was the main takeaway that Jaune took from this. So many horrid acts, so many stomach-turning sights, so many people sacrificed for their own advancement, so many children violated and abused for the sake of the 'family'. Was it any wonder this man became the way he was?

"Gah!" Jaune awoke with a start, laying on a cold metal floor. A single bulb lit the room he found himself in, no windows, one door.

"_Guys!" _no answer, Jaune tore into his pockets and found the cards that he could install gone. Berserker, Assassin, and Avenger remained however. 'Why did that guy not take these three?'

"_Uuhh." _Jaune paused and looked to see the faintest bit of light emerging from the Berserker and Assassin cards.

"_Hmph, finally awake. Consider yourself lucky this Caster was a Magus in life, arrogance is a facet of their very being. Since we weren't connected to you he simply assumed you couldn't use us and left us here." _Jaune stood up and began to stretch, working the stiffness out of his body.

"_Aren't you a Magus?"_

"_That's secondary to anything else. Magi are fools content to watch the world pass by and cling to magecraft. You've seen my memories; how many did I kill because they thought themselves above a gun?" _Jaune smirks, the faces of those people were hilarious to him after seeing their crimes.

"_Good point, so you and Berserker are willing to work with me now?" _A crackle of electricity fills Jaune's ears at his question.

"_Uhhh!" _

"_I've been willing to work with you since the beginning, you merely had no use for my skills before. Since this guy is using Golems I'll be the best one to fight him. Save me until then." _Jaune nods, remembering Assassin's trump card and its power. At the same time he takes note of the near robotic tone Assassin uses, no emotion present in his tone.

"_Alright, let's go find the others."_

"_I… Frankenstein… Berserker… swear… follow … Master."_

"_I, Kiritsugu Emiya, servant of the Assassin class, swear to follow you Master. Let us eliminate the evil of the world together." _Jaune holds up the Berserker Class card and green electricity begins to surround the card and him.

"You know, Frankenstein doesn't suit you Berserker."

"_Uh?"_

"That is the name of a monster, not a term I'd use to describe you. No, I'm going to call you something else. Fran, close enough to your origin while being separate from it. A cute name for a cute girl, do you like it?"

"_Uhhhh!" _Jaune smiled as he heard the joy in her voice, happy that she took the new name.

"Glad to hear it. Install Berserker!" Alarms went off as a pillar green electricity surrounded Jaune, flower petals began to spray out and swirl around the silhouette of the man inside the energy. With a blast of power the energy and flower petals vanished leaving only Jaune Arc in the room.

Sprouting from his forehead was a metal spike, two metal cylinders stuck out of the sides of his head, one blue eye was now a piercing yellow. A pure white tuxedo replaced his clothes, the boots fully made of metal, white gloves now covered his hands, a pink rose adorned his lapel as a boutonniere, hanging from his belt a large gold sphere rests. A giant battle mace forms in his hands, a brown sphere on the end. The sphere expanded, green electricity rolling across its surface. This is Bridal Chest, the 'heart' of Fran.

"Uahhh!" With a thrust forward the door went flying, slamming into the other side of the hallway. Stepping out Jaune found three guards facing him, circuit like patterns appearing on the parts of their faces that their helmets didn't cover. Jaune's eyes narrowed in anger at the sight of magic circuits and the knowledge of how they obtained them.

"Die!" Jaune rushed forward, ignoring the bullets and magic blasts that slammed into him. Swinging the mace sideways he swatted all three into the wall, blood splattered upon impact and the sound of bones breaking rang through the hallway. The two cylinders on the sides of Jaune's head popped out and magical energy began to pour from their bodies into them. Jaune's eyes closed as his body began to patch itself back up using the power it just absorbed, Fran's durability and regenerative capabilities only enhanced by his own. Walking down the hallway he kept coming across more guards with Circuits active. Try as they might he crushed them all.

"Plea..please no! I have a family!" Jaune glared at the last guard that crawled away, his weapon crackling with electricity as he walked towards the downed man. Hefting the mace he lifted it above his head, the pleading speeding up.

"Oh Oum no, have mercy!" Jaune swung down. "Gha! M..m..mercy!" One more swing and the pleading stopped. Jaune rested the head of the mace on the ground as he absorbed the magic from the corpses around him. Fran's growling filling his ears.

"_Grrrhhhh!"_

"_Yeah, so willing to plead for mer…" _Jaune stopped talking asanother voice reached him.

"_M..ma..master.. AHHH!" _Jaune's eyes widened as he heard Mordred's voice.

"_Mordred!?" _Screams were his only answer, the other four soon joining her. Jaune walked a few steps forward, their cries getting minutely louder with each step. Breaking into a charge he rushed forward, following trusting that the rise in volume meant he was getting closer. As he rounded a corner several Atlas droids popped from the walls as well as multiple golems

"Intrud.." the droid didn't even get to finish Jaune plowing straight through it.

"Out of my way!" As he spoke Jaune swung the mace down into a golem, shattering the construct to pieces before rising up and pointing the mace forwards as electricity swirled around it. "Uwahhh!" With a cry several bolt of lightning shot forward, decimating every creation, be they mechanical or magical, in its path. His path clear Jaune charged forward once more, the energy of the golem's trailing behind him as it was absorbed.

"Close the door!" Jaune growled as a wall of guards formed in his path electricity began to form around him, a sphere of green lightning coming into being as he picked up the pace. Every bullet shot at him was stopped in its tracks as it hit the shell of lightning. The guards emptied their clips, trying to buy time as the heavy doors behind them shut down. Jaune's growling grew deeper, a red tinge forming in the electricity around him as his anger soared.

"Move!" The smell of burning flesh filled the air as he rushed right through the guards, the lightning lashing out at them as he passed and killing them all. Right before the door closed Jaune rushed through, sliding to a stop with the sound of screeching metal as his boots slid across the floor. Looking around at his surroundings Jaune finds the place to be an extremely large laboratory, easily able to fit two or three Goliaths with room to spare.

"Such failures, I had hoped they would buy me some more time." Jaune's glare focused in on the masked man from before. The other five cards were in containers attached to a machine, energy seeming to flow from them and into the device. Jaune's teeth clenched when his vision was drawn to what was hanging up behind him. "I had hoped I could at least try and fix my failure of a daughter."

Penny's body was hanging from the wall, the entirety of her lower body gone and wire spilling from her chest. Her eyes were still dead, the life in them gone. Jaune's glare turned back to the fellow Card user, slamming the butt of his mace into the ground.

"Why? Why do all this?"

"Why you ask? Isn't it obvious? Humans, faunus, all of them are absolute failures!" Jaune stared at the man in shock

"The Spirit .."

"Avicebron had nothing to do with my opinions. I hated them long before then and he shared my views to a T. I built Penny with the idea of enhancing upon humans, she was supposed to rise above them. Instead she was shackled down and for some reason wanted to be more like them. So many chance I gave her and every time she failed."

"_Grrrhahhh!"_

"Why enhance humans with Magecraft if you hate them so much then?" Jaune tried to figure out what the man's plan was. He couldn't strike just yet, not when more people could be behind this.

"I had to distract Ironwood somehow while I worked on my own plans, as far as that war-hawk is aware its merely a new way to channel aura. The fool doesn't even realize I'm behind some of the deaths, he probably wouldn't even care if he knew so long as it strengthened his troops. He is the one that called for a device to be built to rip a soul out of someone, I was just glad he didn't mind me using it for my own ends. That is the kind of people you are protecting, a bunch of violent, back-stabbing sociopaths." Jaune stared up at Penny in horror.

"Penny's soul, where did you get it?" The man waved him off, so dismissively it took everything Jaune had to force himself not to charge right then.

"Some petty thief from the Slums, no-one that would be missed. Just another faunus lost in the mines as far as anyone in power was concerned." A ding went off from the machine and a slot opened up, a card levitating from the machine. "I believe this is where we part, you can keep your cards and this failure of mine; if you survive." A door opens behind him and he runs through, two Golems popping up behind him as he goes to block the way. Jaune's gets in a battle-ready position as a body forms from the card. A white-haired, pale-skinned woman appears, armored patterned after ice forming on her limbs and stomach, a black dress and skirt covering her body underneath the armor. A large spear, the end made of purple crystal and made to look like a very deadly heart formed in her hands. The black marks of corruption formed on her skin. Her eyes met Jaune's, purple staring into yellow and blue.

"SIGURD!" A blast of blue energy slammed into Jaune, sending him flying through the door and into the hallway. Landing on his back Jaune rolled to the side as the spear sank into the ground where he once lay. "Sigurd!"

"What the hell!?" Jaune swatted aside the lance again with his mace and kicked out, his foot slamming into her stomach and sending her flying back; giving him some breathing room. _"What's with this chick?!"_

"_Plenty of Heroic Spirits are insane without being Berserkers and I don't think this is solely the corruption. This Sigurd must be a fixation for her, someone so important to her that even now he haunts her." _Jaune sent a blast of lightning at the woman who countered with another blast of energy from her spear.

"_Speaking from personal experience?" _

"_It's … it's complicated." _Jaune let it drop as he dropped to ground to keep from being impaled but made note of the fact that was the first time any emotion entered Emiya's voice. He rolled to his feet and his mace clashed against the spear.

"Sigurd, Sigurd, Sigurd, WHY,WHY, WHY! Why did you leave me!" Jaune was sent flying back from the sheer force of the power she expelled.

"_That's it, Brynhild. The Valkyrie who drowned in madness after the one she loved, Sigurd, was tricked into forgetting her by a brother and sister duo who further used to him to make Brynhild marry the brother. In her rage and sorrow killed not only Sigurd but the magi family that tricked him before killing herself, supposedly her love never died until the end." _Jaune felt his rage rise once more, the thought that this woman was torn from the one she loved because of the selfishness of some magus.

"Huahhh!" Jaune threw his mace to the side where it hangs in the air, Brynhild charging at the opening. Her lance piercing right through Jaune who wrapped his arms around her.

"Sigurd! Why, why betray me?" Jaune gritted his teeth as she struggled in his grip, putting everything into holding her still as his weapon charged.

'Magi, Magi can never be allowed in this world. We have enough problems already.' Brynhild fought against his grip, trying to free herself from his embrace. Jaune ignores that, keeping her still until he felt that Bridal Chest had fully charged. Shoving her back, her lance being torn from his body with her he grabs the Noble Phantasm, the weapon sending energy left behind from Brynhild's attacks into him to fix him back up. Rushing Brynhild he slams his mace down on her, forcing her to a knee as she uses her lance to block it.

"Blasted Tree!" Green lightning shot up, piercing through the ceiling and spreading out, forming the shape of a tree. The fallen Valkyrie cried out as she was caught in the heart of the attack. When the attack was finished and the electricity gone all that was left in the hallway was a few charred bodies, Jaune, and a Lancer Class Card.

"Shit we got to catch that guy!" Jaune stumbled into the lab and found the golems still blocking his path.

"_Switch to me." _Jaune doesn't even answer, too exhausted from fighting Brynhild to waste time. Uninstalling Fran he pulled out the Assassin card and held it out.

"Install Assassin." Unlike the others there was no flash, no show of force. Instead shadows surrounded him for a few seconds before disappearing; when they were gone his form had changed. His skin had darkened, what hair was visible under a red hood was pure white. Grey bandages covered the lower part of his face, black body armor covered the rest of his body. Holstered on the left and right side of his waist were a gun and knife respectively. Drawing the gun Jaune pointed it at the lead Golem, his eyes showing no emotion. When he spoke his voice, a mixture of Kiritsugu and his own, was dry and lifeless.

"Run as far as you like, hide wherever you may, there is no escape. This is the end of your twisted desire." Jaune pulled the trigger, striking the Golem right on the purple crystal in the center of his chest. As the golem collapsed he fired into the chest of the second one, it meeting the same fate followed by the third and final one. "Target eliminated." Jaune uninstalled the card and clutched his head.

"You made those bullets out of your own ribs, that's just taking the saying 'a weapon is an extension of yourself' too far" Jaune walked over to the machine and punched through the glass containers, eagerly taking the Class Cards back. "Sorry I'm late everyone, are you okay?"

"_Just fine Master, nothing the Knight of Treachery can't bounce back from."_

"_Yeah, just give me a bit of time before you decide to use my card again Master."_

"_I apologize Master, I'll need some time before my bow is yours once more."_

"_Please forgive me Master but I need to rest."_

"_I'm fine Master, as a Caster I have plenty of magical energy. Since that accursed machine was draining all five of us equally I'm left with plenty to spare._

"_Well good for you Witch!" _Jaune smiles, glad to have them all back. His gaze turns to Penny's body; unsure of what to do with it.

"_Master, what do you plan to do with the puppet? Are we going to kill her?" _Jaune's eyes widen at Kiritsugu's question.

"She's alive!?" Medea is the one to answer.

"_Yes, its faint but the soul still clings to the shell. Master install me and bring her body down. I want to get a better sense of her." _Jaune's mental look at Medea prompts her to elaborate. _"She… interests me. I want to see how they did it, how a machine is able to hold a soul." _

"Okay, Install Caster." The cloak now covering him Jaune points his finger towards Penny and her body begins to disconnect from the wall. Gently he lowers her down and lets Medea guide him through the process of diagnostic magecraft.

"_Hmm, this is impressive for a first-try with machinery."_

"_Medea?" _

"_Oh don't worry Master, I'm not taking notes for our own use. I simply find it interesting that the soul survived what was essentially it being knocked out with a hammer and stuffed into another container like it was stuffing in a toy. Believe me anyone who participated in this has a special place in the Underworld when they die." _Jaune nodded while he sent two wooden dolls to go grab the Class Cards; unwillingly to leave them laying out of sight for too long. "_I do believe we can give this girl a new body." _

"_Really?" _

"_Yes, call up a Dragontooth Warrior and have it go find a female corpse in relatively good condition." _Jaune followed Medea's instructions, sending the bone-construct off before turning his attention back to Penny. _"Now we need to remove whatever his holding her soul and her brain once the Warrior returns. For now …" _Medea paused in her instructions and Jaune winced as two symbols were burned into his mind. _"Start scratching these out into the floor." _Jaune constructed a knife and began to carve away into the floor, Medea helping him along.

"_You're making her a homunculus body."_

"_I'm surprised you know the procedure."_

"_I am one and spent my early years with Morgana; of course I know how to create those weaklings." _Jaune stopped carving, the second symbol down. His full attention now devoted to Mordred.

"_Mordred, is this going to hurt Penny in the long run?"_

"_The Witch knows her stuff, this body might not be as great as mine but it will far surpass any normal person. I'm talking about their spirits, homunculi are generally pansy-ass wimps that can't do jack shit for themselves. The cowards are willing to let anyone walk right on them even though if they wanted to them could crush a Magus easily if they weren't stupid about it. It's sickening." _Jaune just accepts the answer; knowing that explanation touched upon more of Mordred's past then the knight cared to think about. Luckily the Warrior returned as well as the two Dolls he sent to fetch the cards.

"Huh, we'll have to remember to go grab the rest of my stuff once we're done here." Jaune took a deep breath before starting the next step; taking his knife he began to cut away at Penny's body. Slowly he spread her chest and head open to get a look at her insides. Her creator must have had a sick sense of humor because the soul container was actually in the shape of a heart while her brain was an orb with wires sticking out of it. After figuring out what connected the 'heart' to the 'brain' he carefully removing those two objects after severing all the other wires, making sure to keep them connected the whole time he placed them in one symbol while the Warrior stripped the corpse and placed it in the other. It's task done Jaune then ripped the warriors head off and placed the remaining bones inside the symbol with Penny's heart and brain.

Jaune couldn't describe what came out of his mouth following that, Medea was simply using him as a megaphone really. The fact she was speaking at all was a sign of how heavy-duty this magecraft was if High-Speed Divine Words wasn't applicable. It was fascinating to watch however as the corpse's flesh began to dissolve and move over to the other symbol; wrapping around the bones, 'heart', and 'mind' while the Warrior's bones begin to alter themselves to the proportions that Penny once had. Soon the flesh begins return to normal, fitting itself around the other parts and altering itself look like Penny. When he finally stopped chanting Penny was laying there on the ground, looking just like when he met her except for one thing.

"Nope, nope!" Jaune quickly covered his eyes and took of his cloak, handing it to the Dolls to cover her with. Once he was sure he was safe Jaune removed his hand from over his eyes and promptly collapsed.

"_Sorry Master, it appears I overestimated myself."_

"_Hmpf, Prideful Witch."_

"_Shut it Snake!"_

"Excellent work Jaune." Jaune turned to the side to see Zelretch holding all three Class Cards he had recovered and a tray of glowing orange beakers. "I didn't think you'd get all three so quickly. Take a load off and I'll get you and the girl out of here." Zelretch looked at Penny with a frown. The last thing Jaune heard before falling asleep was something about War Dolls.

Surprisingly there were no memories, a first for Jaune in a long time. Instead it was just peaceful darkness until he woke up. Then he found Zelretch smiling at him right in his face and the peace vanished.

"Shit!" Jaune lashed out with a fist and Zelretch stepped out of its path. Looking around Jaune didn't recognize his surroundings, the view outside told him they weren't in Atlas, slums or capital, anymore. On top of that he had been stripped down to his boxers, the rest of his clothes sitting on a chair in the corner of the room with the rest of his things. "Where did you take us?"

"Argus, lovely city by the way." Jaune's eyes widened and he looked out the window, the architecture making it clear they were in the city. This could be a problem, Saphron and Terra still lived here and he hadn't been in contact since leaving Beacon. "Figured I'd wait for you to wake up before heading out, plus this works better when you're awake."

"Wait what?" Jaune's sight goes dark as Zelretch's hand covers his eyes as the vampire grips his skull. Jaune was no stranger to pain, he had just been impaled earlier after all, but this hurt like nothing else. His mind was on fire, his nerves crying out in agony. Screaming was beyond him; hell complex thought was out of his reach. When it ended he collapsed to his knees, shaking and sweating from whatever Zelretch had done to him.

"What in the hell did you just do to me!?" Jaune's glare only intensified when a fanged grin was sent his way.

"A surprise for later, I think you'll like it. I asked young Penny to wait for us to talk before she came in; oh don't look so surprised it wasn't like we could leave her in Atlas." Jaune just continued to stare at him, unbelieving he did anything out of the goodness of his heart. "You wound an old man young Arc, even I have my moments." Zelretch made to leave at that but Jaune stopped him, getting up and grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Zelretch, Kiritsugu's memories had a lot of nasty stuff. I'm sure I buried a lot more of it to stay sane, you're the only Magus that can travel dimensions right?" Zelretch sighed and turned to face his entertainment/helper.

"Magician, I'm the only Magician. I never explained that quite right, I use true magic and therefore am a Magician. What I do can never be replicated by science. However a few Magi can jump between dimensions but there are certain variables that affect every stage of the process." Zelretch's eyes darkened and Jaune took a step back. "Sadly the Ainsworth are one of the families to often come across this ability. If you should ever heed any of my advice this is one piece you would be wise to listen to." Jaune gulped as a hardness overtook Zelretch, no this was hatred. Zelretch, he truly despised these Ainsworths. "Should an Ainsworth ever arrive in this world; kill them. No matter the reason they come, no matter the cost that must be paid, slit their throats and burn the corpse. That goes doubly so if one of them is a boy named Julian Ainsworth."

"Zelretch?"

"There are a great many monsters in human skin among Magi but one of the worst among them is that boy, he has no morals, no line he won't cross in his path seeking destruction and he has the power to back it up." Zelretch looks towards the door and the darker emotions leaves his face. "What you did with that girl, I might be calling upon you to do it again."

"Penny?"  
"Yes, she isn't the only puppet that deserves to have her strings cut. No offense to the young woman outside that door but who I have in mind deserves it even more so. I'll come to a decision at some point, the dimension these events will occur is reaching the critical point where I'll know if you can or not." Jaune doesn't press for more, a sinking feeling in his gut.

Magi could reach Remnant, they could reach this world. Jaune knew what would come if they ever did. Death, destruction, enslavement, all that and ending with Remnant's people reduced to spare parts for their monstrous experiments or currency for trading with demons.

"Hello friend Jaune." Penny's voice drags him out of his thoughts, the young woman now wearing a green nightdress and smiling with far more life than before. "I thank you for saving me." Her eyes darken and her shoulders droop, her body slumping as her mood dropped. "I was 'awake' for everything." Jaune's mind stopped at that, unable to comprehend the sheer terror she must have felt. "Fa…father said it was my punishment, to be awake as he took me apart and erased my mind. I was going to be conscious as he deleted me piece by piece; then there was learning my soul wasn't from a dying, comatose girl." A smile came to her face again, smaller then before but it was better than a frown. "But now I'm practically a real girl now, I have a pulse, I can feel pain, I can taste. So thank you for saving me and for giving me this life." Jaune smiled at her, extending a hand out.

"Happy to help." Penny took his hand but rather than shake it pulled him into a hug. Jaune blushes, being half-naked in front of her was one thing but this, her nightgown wasn't transparent but it wasn't thick either.

"Um, Penny. We're kind of underdressed." Penny backs away from Jaune and tilts her head, her own cheeks red.

"Sorry, I just wanted to feel another person." The former robot pokes her own cheek. "And is this a blush, its tingly." Jaune swore that if he ever learned how to raise the dead he would bring back the bastard who made Penny and make him beg for Hell. Wanting to feel, taste, every word just painted a disturbing picture and made him wish he had just chased after the scientist. Kiritsugu had plenty of methods for 'information extraction' that could have been put to good use.

"Haaaa. Oh, so that is a yawn. I wonder if I'll get to experience dreaming for the first time." Oblivion would be too good for the bastard.

"_Master I do have some necromancy we could call upon but we'd need at least a bone of the target." _So very tempting.

"_Put a pin in it for now Medea." _

"So where is your bed Penny?" The girl pointed at the one behind him. "Huh, oh sorry, I'll go get another.

"But that's the only bed." Jaune felt his eye begin to twitch. Of course Zelretch only got a one room bed.

"Then I'll take the couch."

"It's not one designed for sleeping on." Did vampires regrow their fangs? On second thought did Jaune really care.

"Doesn't matter." Jaune was going to run the Magician through the next time he saw him; see how immortal he was with Gae Buidhe sticking out of his gut.

"Wait, Mr. Zelretch told me I should have you repair my body before I go to sleep." Medea did not take kindly to that request.

"_Repair! That body is effectively a work of art. I ensured that no flaws, what could she have done so far that requires healing beyond her aura!?" _Jaune wondered as well but he was much more concerned rather than upset.

"What happened?" Penny pointed at her groin, bringing another blush to Jaune's face that soon vanished.

"I began to bleed from here and I feel some slight pain here as well." Jaune just paled while Penny said all this with an innocent face.

"_Ah, Gaia's monthly gift."_

"_Gift, what the hell are you calling a gift ,Kitty."_

"_Huh, I do better work then I thought."_

'Zelretch, I am going to skin you alive, bath you in holy water, and create some Black Keys just so I can shove them up your ass!.'

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Salem looked at Watts with interest. His report more than capturing it after hearing about a new form of magic popping up over Remnant.

"And these cards also affect Grimm? They must be responsible for those odd feelings I've had lately. I couldn't place what was happening." She might control the Grimm but it wasn't like she had a hive mind with them, that would probably make her go brain dead regardless of the curses laid upon her.

"Yes, Hazel and Tyrian have rounded up the few we've found while I had people seek out the cards themselves. I found four so far, here you go." Salem took the cards from him, one with the picture of an assassin, one a knight, and two with a chained figure on them. All four of them felt warm to the touch. "I can't tell if there is any specific stimulus they need but so far it seems like they merge at random." Salem smirks at Watts, his faith in science had never left him since he joined her despite the stuff he has seen her do.

"Leave me Watts, you do not want to be in the blast zone while I test a few theories." Watts bows and quickly leaves the room. Salem looks down at the cards with interest, able to feel the souls inside them; resonating with her own. That must be it, if each card has a soul they have preferences. Perhaps the Grimm's form is the reason or maybe they seek darkness, either way these cards are already lapping at her magic. Perhaps if she gave them some energy.

"Let's see, this one." Choosing one of the duplicate cards Salem feeds energy into it and when she feels a limit be reached she tosses it across the room. Energy spills out of the card and begins to form a body, a huge, towering one at that. Salem grins at the sight. "I do believe I'll need a bigger door.

"AWWWOHHHHH!"


	5. Chapter 5

**So any guesses for who else Salem has gotten her hands on? Not a lot of action this chapter but it can't always feature fights to the death. Also does anyone know if the Prisma Illya series has a dub and if so where I could watch it, I already know the sub is on Crunchyroll. Apparently I also need to explain Origin Bullets to some people; basically if they hit Magecraft it's like they shot the mage that cast it. Therefore the professor effectively took three bullets to the heart when the Golems got shot. Beta read by Khor. I do not own RWBY or the Nasuverse. **

**Chapter 5 – Hidden Secrets No More.**

Jaune looked around Argus, taking in the familiar sights. It was well-fortified, housed a decent population, and had Atlas troops stationed in the city; all in all a wonderful place to elope to. Jaune remembered seeing the troops the last time he was here and being glad they were in the area where his sister lived. That was before he had helped spirit away Penny after killing one of their scientists and the men guarding his facility; he wouldn't be surprised if wanted posters popped up within days.

"Penny, remember we need to keep a low profile." Jaune was thankful that Zelretch had gotten her some clothes and snagged her a spare copy of her weapon before leaving, the vampire had even used some magecraft to ensure Penny could still use the thing. The device rested on her back, the backpack-like container looking so innocent to those that didn't know what it contained. Penny smiled up at him from under the straw sunhat Jaune had purchased to hide her hair and face, the hat not looking out of place with the green sundress she wore.

"Understood Friend Jaune." Penny gave him a salute and Jaune smiled down at her. He had grown to like the former bot over the last few hours, her sheer enjoyment over everyday things was both adorable and endearing. He had also impressed by the steel she had shown earlier when she had told him in no uncertain terms she was sticking by his side for the foreseeable future when he had brought up finding a place for her, and her alone, to stay. "But if it's such a risk why remain here?"

"While I don't doubt Zelretch might have simply put us here to watch me squirm its possible a Card or two might be in the area. If there is any they haven't woken up yet but I'd like to find them before they do." Jaune shuddered at the thought of another Spirit going on a killing spree; especially in an area he had family.

"Understood, I am … oh, no I'm not." Jaune looked at Penny with concern as she stopped walking and just stared in front of her. Catching his glance she gestured to an alcove away from people and he followed. Once out of the range of prying ears she began to explain. "My eyes are organic; this limits my ocular senses even though a portion of my brain is still mechanical. Before I had several vision options as well as facial and pattern recognition capabilities, now I have the knowledge of them but find myself unable to access them. I find it both liberating and odd." Jaune didn't mean to but he couldn't help but thing of the Exterminator movie series where robots were sent from the future to eliminate the leader of a resistance in the future by attempting to kill first her mother before her birth and then her pre-teen self. He could only pray that the idea merely came from the movie and Penny hadn't been accepted by the higher-ups in the Atlas military for infiltration purposes.

"Liberating?"

"I saw things but didn't comprehend them." Penny paused and looked around before pointing at a picture of a rainbow hanging in a shop window. "What do you think when you see a rainbow?" Jaune couldn't help but grin at her question, a memory coming to mind.

"I think of the legend that a pot of gold can be found at the end of one, I remember when me and my some of my sisters tried to find the end of a rainbow. We got so lost that time; Mom and Dad were inches away from tearing strips from us when we finally stumbled back home." His smile left as he watched Penny frown.

"I only saw light being dispersed in a multi-colored pattern. Such a sight brought up no emotions beyond what was needed to blend in." Jaune stared at Penny in shock, not sure of what to think for a moment.

'Necromancy is not a real option, necromancy is not a real option.' Jaune chanted that mantra in his head as he took Penny's hand and led her out of the alley and down the street. 'Let's see; last time I was here… Ah! There it is.' Destination in sight Jaune led Penny across the street.

"I think you'll like this place Penny. Argus' flower bank, they have samples of practically everything here." Penny's eyes lit up and she began to practically vibrate in excitement as Jaune paid the entrance fee to the public area. Jaune followed behind as Penny raced ahead into the indoor garden; the girl's delight plain for all to see.

"_Heh, talk about déjà vu." _Jaune perked up at Mordred's voice, the knight and the other four having been quiet since yesterday.

"_Oh?"_

"_Yeah, I was just like her once I got away from my Mother." _Jaune squirmed at that, he had seen Mordred's memories of Morgana and 'mother' was not a title that he could ever apply to her. Honestly 'parent' wasn't a title he'd give to either of Mordred's gene donors but that was a subject he knew not to touch upon with Mordred. Despite how much the Spirit tried to deny it, despite how much hatred Mordred truly felt for the King of Camelot the Knight of Treachery still loved the King.

"_Do you have any idea what Zelretch did to me?" _

"_Nope, I doubt the corpse did anything harmful though. You're still useful and entertaining to him." _

"_Joy." _

"Friend Jaune, look who I met." Jaune's attention came back to the world and his eyes widened when he saw Penny smiling at him with Saphron standing by her side. His older sister was smiling at him but he recognized that twitch in her eye.

"Hello baby brother, it's been so long since I heard from you. In fact it's been about a month and a half since anyone heard from you." At that moment Jaune was close to praying for a rampaging Spirit to show up. Give him a soul-devouring creature over an angry Saphron any day of the year.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

"Ozpin, that young man you told me about, Jaune Arc. You said he was promising but in need to tempering, correct?" Ozpin was surprised this was the way Ironwood started a call off but was happy to hear him asking about his former student as it meant a spot might have opened up for the young Arc.

"Yes, in the span of less than a school year he went from cannon fodder to adequate for a first year student in terms of combat. His natural gift for strategy was something to behold from the start and it only grew; if his team had bothered to memorize his plans I think we would have been in for a treat during the first round of the festival." Qrow snorted in the background at that, remembering the mess that had been.

"Heh, Flower Power." At first he had thought that the boy had been a worthless leader but later learned his teammates were horrible followers; especially the Valkyrie girl with her lack of impulse control. The girl had caused Glynda a fair amount of headaches and as leader a good portion of the punishments was assigned to Jaune for failing to control her, a near impossibility from what Qrow had seen. That wasn't to say the veteran Huntsman was immediately writing NPR off with that; Oum knows he and Raven weren't much better at first. Considering two of them raised themselves, made their own decisions, and trusted practically only themselves for around a decade it was a miracle they listened at all while as for the kid's former partner; well she was a tournament champion that hadn't had a teammate ever, of course working alone was what she was best at. No, in all likely hood they probably would have shaped up by the middle of their second year if loyalty was a quality they possessed.

"Yes, I remember. Know that I have to ask this and i mean no offense. Ozpin, what have you been smoking!? Did you go back to spiking your coffee again!?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow at the General who was looking at him like he was senile.

"James?"

"Your untrained gamble killed twenty-six of my men, Professor Polendina, and some woman that for a second I thought was a Maiden! A Maiden Ozpin!"

"Ghack!" Ozpin choked as his coffee as Qrow began to look over a video link that Ironwood had sent over, clearly security cam footage that gave a good view of the kid.

"Is he wearing a tuxedo?" Ignoring Qrow's question Ozpin looked over and felt his eyes widen as he saw Jaune Arc throw around lightning like it was nothing as he swung a giant battle mace that was only a half-foot shorter than he was. The headmaster's attention was most devoted to the segment where his former student was shot out of a room he had entered a few minutes before followed by a spear-wielding woman that was clearly using magic. Two of Jaune's feats caught his eye above the rest of the footage; first it was surviving being impaled followed by the burst of electrical energy that dwarfed what a Maiden could do. He set those thoughts to the side for now though, first came ensuring Ironwood didn't make Jaune public enemy number one.

"James I assure you that Mr. Arc wouldn't…." Ironwood waved him off.

"Don't bother Ozpin, after what we discovered I would have killed the Professor and the guards myself." Ozpin, for all his experience at maintaining a poker face, couldn't hide his confusion at that. James was known for protecting his assets and men, both of which Jaune Arc was quite clearly smashing to a pulp on the video. "We found vials of spinal fluid with DNA matching the last two murder victims, so the Professor was behind at least the second batch of killings; The guards knew this but didn't report it, bank records confirm pay-offs. Even worse was the fact he had a second STM, which I have already destroyed, built and had used it for his own experiments. I don't even know how many he might have used it on but I found several robotic bodies that I believe were the prototypes for Penny, who has disappeared and I'm going to assume is with Mr. Arc. I'm making an educated guess that at least one person was killed per body so that means almost four dozen murders at least." Both men in Beacon stared in shock at Ironwood before Qrow broke the silence by taking a large gulp from his flask, Ozpin snatching it from him after he was finished and pouring some in his coffee.

"And the woman?"

"No record of her, literally. I've had feelers put out and I can't find anyone that recognizes the woman or has even heard rumors. People like that don't pop up out of nowhere." A cough drew the two men's attention towards Qrow.

"I know this sounds nuts, but this whole situation is crazy so stay with me. Is that a card where the woman was standing after the blast of lightning that the kid finished the fight with?" The two men looked at the video and saw what Qrow was talking about, in the crater where the woman had been sat a gold-colored card. A few minutes later a wooden doll came and snatched it, another mystery to add to the pile. "Well Jimmy I think you might be partially wrong; the woman didn't come from nowhere, she came from the card." Ozpin latched onto that, thinking the idea over in his head. It made a certain amount of sense, if Jaune managed to destroy the woman so thoroughly that nothing remained that card shouldn't have survived.

"James, tell me everything you know about the Professor and what he was up to." Magic was popping up again, the very essence of his endless battle could be changed. Despite how poorly it was going and how little control he had over the situation Ozpin couldn't help but feel thrilled; perhaps he would finally find a way to end _their_ suffering.

'I was right Mr. Arc, you do have a lot of potential. The question is how it brought you into this situation.'

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Penny knew she had a lot to learn about being human, or perhaps being an organic would be a better way to put it. Once more this fact was driven home at the uncomfortable silence filling the room she found herself in; Mrs. Cotta-Arc having taken them to her place after she learned her brother was in the area. Apparently Jaune's older, and eldest, sister went to the gardens every once in a while to treat her homesickness, the garden allowing her to observe and interact with a few species of flora native to the area. When Penny had introduced herself and learned the woman was related to Friend Jaune she had brought the older woman to her brother thinking she was aiding in a family reunion, an important part of organic life according to her research. Apparently her research had been either incomplete or flawed; the picture of Jaune and his sisters that showed the boy looking at the camera with dead eyes and a sign that read Help Me only further confirmed that suspicion.

"So Jaune, what have you been doing for the past few months?" Saphron's voice held an undercurrent of anger as she glared at her little brother, only her wife's grip on her hand and the fact Adrien was sleeping kept her from exploding. The last time anyone had heard from Jaune was when a letter reached them detailing how his team had replaced him with a new kid and he was leaving Beacon. While she was thrilled he was removing the risk from his life she had promised to rain hell on those that had tossed him aside if she ever got the chance; but then he disappeared. Completely off the radar and out of sight for the past few months with no contact and he suddenly shows up in Argus without telling her, anyone would be angry.

"It's complicated." Jaune sighed as his sister glared at him, her wife not looking to happy either. That was to be expected, Terra had told him he was her favorite in-law after how quick he had been to accept her. "After Beacon I ran into this old troll, Zelretch. He was looking for someone with a modicum of combat experience and I had impressed him; he never came out and said it but I suppose it was from watching me during the Festival. Apparently he was going to approach me during the summer break but our meeting was unplanned and so he offered me a job. Apparently some things of his were lost, stolen apparently, and he knew they were all across Remnant. Seeing as I had nothing else to do and he was offering a good deal I accepted the job." Jaune pulled the Avenger card from his pocket, showing the couple the card.

"He has you running around the Kingdoms; to track down cards?" Jaune didn't blame his sister for not believing him, it did sound rather farfetched.

"Someone important to him apparently made them, Zelretch cares a lot for them." Technically not a lie. Zelretch did think the Ainsworths were important; just not in a positive sense. "It's been fun: seen some neat places, made some friends, helped some people out. I'm sorry for not getting in contact but we know how everyone would react."

"Yes, they'd want you home. Where its safe and you wouldn't be sticking your neck out. If these cards are worth stealing what if they're worth killing for." Jaune gritted his teeth, reminding himself that those were valid concerns.

"I can handle myself and Penny is incredibly skilled herself." Penny smiled as the couple's gaze went her way, giving the two women a little salute.

"I am combat and travel ready." Jaune smirked at Saphron and Terra's reactions to Penny's words, it was funny to hear such a militaristic term in Penny's voice. The cheer and pep in it not fitting with the words. Saphron shook her head, her attention turning back to her brother.

"No, that doesn't matter. I understood and supported your wish to be a Huntsman, even when I thought you should find a different way to help people, because you'd would have people to watch your back. Not this, not running around by yourself because some asshole wants his pretty cards back. You should go home, see the family, and get a regular job. It doesn't have to be there, it can be anywhere in the more protected areas in the kingdoms. Just somewhere safe." Terra spoke up for the first time, deciding she had let her wife say her piece and now was a good time for hers.

"I agree with Saphron on this one Jaune, you could stay here if you'd like. There is plenty of room and we know a lot of people that could use a hard worker like yourself. I remember you had a knack for programing, I could put in a good word for you at the Base." Jaune's eyes widened as he remembered Terra was a computer engineer, she was freelance but apparently good enough that the Atlas base decided to hire her. He needed to leave quickly before the three Cotta-Arcs got dragged into this.

"I can take care of myself and I like my job. It's actually rather thrilling and fulfilling to find these things and return them to Zelretch." Jaune didn't have to fake the excitement in his voice. He wouldn't consider himself an adrenaline junky but fighting corrupted Spirits backed up by the Heroic Spirits in his Class Cards was the single greatest thing he had ever experienced. He could look back at each fight with excitement, the knowledge of how dangerous the Spirits were and what they could do reminding him each time he was helping people. No, he couldn't stop now. Not while his dream was being fulfilled and not while people were still in danger. "Besides, I gave Zelretch my word. An Arc can't go back on their word, perhaps the only advice I got from Dad that isn't absolute crap."

"Jaune!" Said person was the one to glare at his sister this time, the fact she was surprised hurt him. The fact she wasn't on his side did so as well; the man at one point was one signature away from disowning her while he had been supportive every single step of the way when she and Terra started their own family and she was taking their father's side?!

"What?! I finally realized how much my childhood sucked. I finally decided I didn't want to live my life as the family doll and butler! What's so wrong about that?! I decided to follow my dream and after it crashed and burned I bounced back pretty decently. I can take care of myself, you all certainly made sure I had the skills to do so. So why is it you act like I can't handle five minutes alone without getting myself killed?"

"BECAUSE YOU WERE WEAK!" Saphron paled as soon as the words left her mouth while Jaune's eyes erupted in anger. Penny shrank into her seat and Terra looked at both Arcs in worry. Jaune stood up, gesturing to Penny that she do the same.

"We're leaving, thank you for the hospitality Terra. It was great to finally meet my Nephew, hopefully he doesn't take after his Uncle." His eyes bore into Saphron at that last sentence; he had been the one to donate sperm so that her child could be related to her. He had been happy to help his favorite sister and his new sister-in-law, eager to help bring a niece or nephew into the world. The elder sibling tearing up as her mouth opened and closed; no words coming out.

"Okay I think we all need to calm down. Penny, while I'm checking on Adrian why don't you go make a pot of tea. Everything you need is already laid out." Penny nodded vigorously and shot out of the room while Terra did so more subdued, kissing her wife on the cheek before heading upstairs. Jaune sat back down, unwilling to walk out as his favorite sister looked ready to break down any second.

"Jaune… I'm sorry. That… that came out wrong." Jaune clenched his teeth, unwilling to speak for fear of saying something he couldn't take back. "You… you were a premature baby. You were born three weeks early and with a low birthweight; somewhere just under four pounds." Jaune froze as he watched his sister barely hold herself together. "At first everything seemed fine, you built up enough weight to come home and got out of the incubator quickly enough. You didn't have any breathing problems and you could feed easily but then you got sick; a lot. I remember you spending weeks at a time in the hospital because you caught something mundane. Every time I didn't know if my little brother was going to come back or not; Dad had a coffin prepared at one point. He tried to hide it but I saw it once."

"Saphron…"

"You spent the majority of your first few years in the hospital for one thing or another. Then you got better, your immune system was finally able to fight off infections. We were so happy the first time you came back and stayed. Yet you were still so small, you know as well as I do you only really grew during the past year and a half." Jaune's grimace matched his sister's at that, remembering how much of a target his lack of height had made him growing up. "So then we all saw this tiny boy that we remember almost dying so often, our baby brother and mom and dad's baby boy, saying he wants to become a huntsman. That he wants to grow up and go to a school where he could die just to make a career out of throwing himself at the Grimm." Saphron couldn't look Jaune in the eye any longer, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her forehead on them. "So we did everything we could to stop you. We made sure you didn't learn to fight, I'll admit I think Mom went a bit far with no self-defense courses on that one, we made sure you didn't get access to weapons and armor, we tried to teach you any skill we could that would show you a different path. Cooking, sewing, even being a masseuse; anything that didn't have you risking your life day in and day out." Jaune stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting beside Saphron after removing his armor and pulling her into a hug as his sister bawled into his hoodie. Of all the spirits to chime at that moment in Kiritsugu was the last one Jaune expected to do so.

"_You're lucky." _

"_I know, why do you think so?" _Jaune split his attention between his sister, rubbing her back as she cried into his chest and the Assassin. Jaune understood enough to know Counter Guardians weren't exactly paragons of sanity or empathy so the fact Kiritsugu display signs of either interested him.

"_I never knew my birth mother; my Father said the Clocktower killed her and while he was a bastard I don't think he lied about that. I don't know if that's what started it or if she was as much a monster as he was but he went on to try and create a potion that would make him a Dead Apostle." _Jaune broke into a sweat thinking about those; Zelretch was the only one that wasn't a rampaging beast. He remembered the memories of Kiritsugu's Apostle hunts, the devastation they left in their wake, the towns filled with walking corpses and the stench of death everywhere.

"_Is this why you killed him?"_

"_I killed him after the only friend I ever made, my first and only love, his apprentice, drank the potion in an, admittedly stupid, bout of curiosity and became a Dead Apostle. I was weak, I didn't listen to her pleas to kill her while she still had some grasp on her humanity or her sanity. Because of my hesitation she went on to turn the island we lived on into a land of the dead. The Clocktower sent people in and they were going to kill my father; I tricked one of them into letting me do it. No, that's not it; she let me do it. I found him packing his stuff, ready to run and leave me. He didn't care about what happened; he was pleased at all the data he gathered." _It was faint, almost non-existent, but Jaune could hear the faint bit of rage in the Spirit's tone. _"He wasn't going search for me, he didn't care. I was already going to kill him, that just removed any regret I had and I wasn't the worst example of what magi considered 'parental/familial love'. I don't agree with the way your family went about it but they care about you, they want you safe, don't let your anger permanently end things._

"_Yeah." _Jaune looked down at Saphron, the woman having stopped crying but still held him close. _"I suppose you're right." _It was so quiet Jaune barely heard Mordred speak but he did.

"_He is." _

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

They ended up spending the night at the Cotta-Arcs' residence, buying train tickets out of Argus for the next morning. Jaune had forgiven Saphron, unable to leave their relationship in pieces. True; he wouldn't forgive them right off the bat and he didn't plan on getting back in regular contact with the rest of their family but he wrote another letter for Saphron to send. In it he let them know all was well and described his new job; nothing more and nothing less. He would continue to send letters that let them know he was alive but for know he didn't plan on doing more; he might not want to cut ties with them but that didn't mean he was willing to overlook everything they did. As he lay on the guest bed Jaune's thoughts turned to Penny.

The former robot had practically melted when she tasted the Arc family cooking at dinner and she went absolutely nuts over Adrian; holding him close and nuzzling him for an hour. The little tyke had in turn been more than happy to bask in her attention and affections. It was good to see she was adapting and taking to her new body well; barring that incident from last night. He could have done without their hosts' suggestive looks however but he expected them. A young man and women traveling together with no-one else; of course some people are going to think the duo were a couple. Closing his eyes Jaune got comfortable and prepared to sleep, wondering whose memories he would see this time.

"No! No! Stop!" Jaune was up and out of the room in an instant when he heard Penny's screams. He snatched Mordred's card from the bedside as he ran out and down the hall to Penny's room; half expecting to find some Black Ops unit or some such group from Atlas trying to kidnap the girl. Slamming the door open Jaune dashed in, hearing people coming up the stairs behind him.

"Insta…" the words died on his lips as he only saw Penny in the room, no signs of anyone entering and nowhere they could hide. Penny was twisting on her bed, crying and lashing out in her sleep. As bad as it sounded Jaune was grateful it was just a nightmare; a bad dream was much more preferable to what he expected to find. Leaning down Jaune avoided her swings and began to shake her.

"Penny come on and wake up. It's just a nightmare; you're safe." Penny's eyes shot open, terror filling them as she took in Jaune and realized where she was. "There you go; its alright." Jaune sat down on the side of her bed and to his shock she curled up into his side.

"I… I was back in the lab and you didn't show up." Jaune looked up from Penny to see Saphron and Terra in the doorway; both looking concerned but Jaune shook his head and they understood the message to not ask. Seeing everything was alright the two went to check on Adrian while Jaune took care of Penny. "Piece by piece, he ripped me apart and tore away at what made me 'me'." Jaune place a hand on the girl's head and began to stroke her hair as her breathing slowed down. Once she was calm Jaune made to get up only for her grip to tighten; her superior strength making itself known. "Please don't leave." Jaune didn't have it in him to refuse; Saphron would make him regret it in the morning but Penny needed him now.

"Okay, scoot over a bit." Penny did so and Jaune lay out on the bed, setting the Class Card on the bedside table. Jaune looked at his companion, the girl wrapping his arm up in hers as she turned his shoulder into a pillow. "Night Penny."

"Night Jaune." Sleep came surprisingly easy despite the weight on his shoulder and Penny breathing in his ear. What came after he entered the realm of dreams surprised him however. It wasn't the first time he found himself in the field that the held the Sword in the Stone but this time it felt so much more real; some unseen aspect making it different from the other memories he had seen.

"So Master; looks like I got you first." Jaune turned around to see Mordred sitting on a large rock. Her armor was nowhere to be seen, leaving her in the clothes she preferred when out of battle and alone. The Knight wore what Jaune guessed was the medieval equivalent of a sports bra or a tube top, red, Jaune was guessing something similar to arm warmers, covered her arms from the wrist to bicep, a red, armored skirt and cloth covered her from the waist down, black leggings and red boots covered the lower limbs. Jaune honestly wasn't meaning to but when she stood up something became clear, the piece of cloth made sure he didn't see anything but he could easily tell what article of clothing was not present.

"Puts some underwear on!" He covered his eyes and looked away, he knew Mordred may not care and he had been flashed enough by his sisters but he was not going to make a habit of looking at dangerous women when they were in a state of extreme undress.

"Jeez, right little gentleman you are. There, we're good?" Mordred decided to humor Jaune and his modern sense of shame. Jaune looked back to see Mordred holding the cloth up and smirking at him, a pair of red panties covering the knight's groin.

"Yeah." If she was hoping to embarrass Jaune more Mordred was to be disappointed; seven sisters and a co-ed dorm had made seeing a girl in her underwear a common sight for Jaune, more so thanks to the former. Nudity was another matter entirely however; his questionable education aside Jaune had been taught how to treat a woman by the female Arcs. Unfortunately his dad taught him how to flirt and those were lessons that clearly were worthless. "So is this what Zelretch did to me?" Mordred nodded and rested her blade on her shoulder.

"Got it in one; I think Merlin did something similar once. Something along the lines of making an area where a second being could reside in one's Inner World; I guess since my card was the closest to you I'm the one that gets to greet you first. Once we're all together I'd say this place gets divided between us or maybe grows? I'm not going to try and guess what that bloodsucker's plan are." Jaune looked around, taking in the sights and recognizing he was dressed in his usual wear minus the armor.

"What was it like before?" Mordred grimaced at that, looking away while a chill swept through the area around them.

"For me at least, it was like I was back in that beaker. It didn't hurt like then, but that's to be expected when you aren't forced to age a dozen or so years in a fourth of the time, instead it was nice, pretty peaceful and soothing but the feeling of being submerged was still the same." Jaune tried to hide his frown, knowing Mordred would take it as a sign of pity. Jaune kept an eye on Mordred as she let out a sigh and then grinned at Jaune. She swung Clarent out and pointed the silver sword at him. "Now enough of the past, lets focus on the future. I want to fight you." Jaune took a step back in shock as the absence of Crocea Mors became more pronounced in his mind.

"Mordred I'm unarmed." Jaune froze as he said that; for a moment he forgot that Mordred didn't hold the same code of chivalry as most from her time. Out of battle she followed most of its tenets but when it came to battle she threw them to the side; not that he blamed her. True some lines should never be crossed, even on the field of battle, but to Jaune chivalry seemed more like a noose around one's neck when in combat.

"Hold out your hand and say Include: Clarent." Jaune did so, trusting Mordred to not steer him wrong.

"Include: Clarent!" A copy of the Nobel Phantasm appeared in his hand, an exact replica of the one pointed at him. Mordred smirk only grew as her Master examined the blade.

"Before it was safer for you to simply Install everyone but now that you've acclimated to us and your base state as grown I decided you should learn this technique as well. You won't be throwing around any Nobel Phantasms like my trump card but the weapons themselves are far beyond anything this world is capable of." Jaune turned back to Mordred; smiling at his Servant.

"So does this make me your squire?" Mordred froze for a second before laughing, actually planting the sword in the ground and bending over to clutch her stomach. When her amusement subsided she got back into a ready stance; her excitement practically radiating from her.

"We'll see Master; now come and show me that potential I see in you! No armor, no lightning, and no Mana Burst; just you, me, and the weapons in our hands. Show me everything you got; give me another reason to know I was right to swear my allegiance to you!" Jaune's grin matched Mordred as he took up a stance similar to hers, a few aspects differing here and there due to their different body types. An unspoken signal passed between them and they rushed each other, the sound of their weapons clashing against each other filling the field.

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Neither was sure how long they had fought as they sat on the ground, backs resting against each other as they breathed heavily. Jaune was the more battered, bruised, and bloody of the two, his breaths deeper and more ragged but he had left his mark on Mordred. The knight was forced to keep one eye closed as blood ran down from a cut on her head, one hand pressed against a nasty gash on her side from where she didn't manage to fully dodge an attack.

"Ha… ha… That's what I'm talking about Master." Mordred leaned back, looking up at the eternal sunset that dominated the sky. "Keep at it and I might actually have to use more than a quarter of my strength.." Jaune smiled at the complement, knowing that a fourth of her strength, even with the restrictions she placed on herself, was more than most could ever hope to reach.

"Mordred, why did you agree with Kiritsugu earlier." Mordred tensed before letting it go and closing her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious, I let my anger control me and brought about Camelot's demise, ending whatever chance I had of being accepted by Father." Mordred frowned as she thought back to the memories of her rebellion; phantom pain radiating from the Spirit's stomach as she recalled her Father running her through. Mordred didn't blame him; her Father was perfect and therefore what he did was right. So lost in memories Mordred almost missed it when Jaune began to talk again.

"Yeah, you did. The rebellion was overkill, no two ways about it, but your anger was just." Mordred froze, almost unable to believe what she was hearing. "Your father blamed you for everything Morgana did. You suffered for her crimes, for existing, no-one could blame you for being angry, for leaving, sadly you inherited both you're parent's policy of go big or go home and decided a rebellion was the best course of action."

"How; how can you say that? My Rebellion destroyed the kingdom; I didn't want that. I wanted to rule it, I wanted to take up that burden for Father yet instead I brought an end to everything he worked to build." Jaune frowned at Mordred's words; at the extreme amount of self-hatred that was present her voice.

"You seem to forget we're the same." Jaune paused for a few seconds, letting the Spirit take in his words. "I rebelled against my family's wishes, I rebelled against the life they had planned for me, and I'll continue to do so." Jaune shakily stood up, despite his body being a construct he could still feel the soreness the spar had brought about. "So then, why wouldn't I want the ultimate rebel by my side. I know you've made your vows before but I have to ask; will you stand by me in this rebellion of mine." Jaune held his hand out to Mordred, the knight looking up at him in surprise before a wide grin overtook her face. Reaching out and grasping his hand Mordred stood up and kept up the grip on his hand.

"Of course Master; I'll stand by you until the end." Jaune's smirk matched Mordred's. "Now then, time to wake up Master." Jaune nodded as his body began to fade out as he began to wake; in seconds he was gone and Mordred was alone in the field. Mordred smirked as she fell back to the ground, a content look coming over her face as she made herself comfortable.

"Heh, such an odd master but one I'm glad to serve."

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter; remember to give Duskrider's reaction story a look. Two chapters in and he's doing an amazing job with the third chapter coming out soon. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, glad to see people like Penny. I hope you all continue to enjoy this story and please note that I am using some manga material for Penny. Also all of RWBYNR are in their new outfits, Pyrrha is the only one who didn't have an outfit upgrade. I do not own RWBY or Nasuverse. Beta read by Khor. **

**Chapter 6 – A New Year Begins.**

Penny looked at the setting sun and let out a breath of contentment. It had been four months since Jaune had saved her, four months since he had given her a new life and her freedom. In those four months she had actually begun to understand how to be human and just how fragile organics could be after she got sick for the first time after staying out in the rain for too long. Death had been a possibility for her before but she had so many failsafes built in and could survive so much in her old body she never gave it a thought. Now she was vulnerable; especially as she followed Jaune on his journey. Over the past few months she had been in more danger than ever before, fighting Spirits, possessed Grimm, bandits, and regular Grimm, but she wouldn't have it any other way. Jaune was her savior, her friend, she would do anything in her power to aid him.

"Penny; take in the sights after we kill these things!" Penny looked over at Jaune to see a Griffon had pinned him to the roof of the train; the only thing keeping it from sinking it's front claws into him was Tauropolos. "Get the hell off me!" Jaune growled as he slammed a foot into the Grimm, forcing the beast back into the air and allowing him to stand up. Jaune had an arrow nocked in a second and sent flying into the Grimm's skull.

"Right, sorry!" Blades went whipping around, decimating the flock of Griffons that had set upon the train they had been riding. "It's just so amazing." Jaune shook his head for a second before he went back to shooting the Grimm with the weapon he had brought out with Include; thankful he had the gauntlets as well to keep the drawstring from slamming into his arm. Penny had a weakness for sights that could trigger strong emotions and she was skilled enough to take a few seconds off but he needed her to help out; they still had a little more than half a flock to kill and that was after taking out thirty-something of them. Nocking two arrows Jaune takes aim and fires, hitting the wings of one of the Grimm flying over the rest of the flock, the creature crashing to the ground and taking another two with it on the way down.

"Ghrahhh!" Jaune looked behind him to find a Beringel had hopped up onto the train, slamming its fists against its chest as it let out a fierce roar.

"Penny I'll take the ape; you finish off the fliers." Penny nodded, her swords switching into gun from while some attached to her backpack to form a jetpack. The girl sending Jaune a quick salute as she took to the air.

"Can do." As Penny engaged in aerial combat Jaune dismissed the bow and gauntlets.

"Include Gae Buidhe, Include Gae Dearg." Both spears burst into existence in Jaune's hands, the boy already running towards the Grimm with the beast doing the same. The Grimm made the first move, slamming an arm down at its target. Jaune sidestepped around it and drove Gae Dearg into the arm and through both the appendage and the roof. Screams came from below the compartment below but Jaune ignored them as he ducked under a swipe from the Beringel. Spinning his remaining spear around in both hands Jaune swung it up, driving the butt of the weapon into the Beringel's jaw. The force of the blow threw it into the air, its pinned arm being torn off from the force, where a it slammed into a sign. Jaune smirked as he pulled Gae Dearg free and watched the Beringel collapse onto the tracks as the train rushed past the sign, the ape-like Grimm dissolving as he roared in agony. Penny touched down beside him, her gun blades folding up and stowing themselves away. Dismissing his weapons Jaune sat down on the edge of the train and breathed a sigh of relief now that nothing was trying to kill them for the moment. Penny plopped down beside him and Jaune gave the girl a once over; making sure she didn't get any injuries that her aura couldn't get rid of quickly. There were three things that Jaune was happy to have gained over the course of his journey; not including the Cards and the Spirits within.

First was Penny's companionship; the former bot was a welcome presence that kept his spirits up even at the worst of times. He had given up trying to get her to stop following him for her own safety two months into their time together after she had pulled him out of the way of a Nobel Phantasm that could have killed her as well; the fear on her face when she looked at him, not for herself but for him made him realize he wasn't ever going to get her to leave. More and more he found himself glad he had her as she became a light among the carnage and horrors they came across.

Second was closure on his family, he still hadn't called any of them except for Saphron and she was aware that if she tried to include the rest of their family he would stop right there. All he did was keep sending letters that gave brief overviews of what he was up to and where he had been, these letters were mailed a week late to ensure no-one could track him or tried to ambush him by guessing where he'd be going. Their actions still stung but it had lessened, the knowledge of how close he had come to dying so often when he was young explaining a lot and making it more understandable. He still tore into his father about the coffin one letter though as it explained his oddly-shaped wooden wagon from his younger years; the knowledge that he had dragged his own coffin around was all kinds of disturbing to him despite the admitted humor of an object of death bringing joy.

Lastly was his semblance; one he had named Aura Amplification. Jaune had found that his semblance used his aura to amplify his and others aura; increasing everything from aura regeneration rates to the shield the power provided. The process could be draining on him with prolonged use but his huge tank of aura allowed him to use short bursts frequently; he had actually tapped into it once before leaving Beacon when Cardin was wailing on him in the Forbidden Forest after he refused to throw sap at Pyrrha to attract Rapier Wasps to her, he still questioned why Cardin thought doing something that could be considered attempted murder was a bright idea. At that point it had managed to fully heal him from the beating and amp up his shield so much Cardin had hurt himself attacking him.

"Isn't the sunset pretty?" Jaune's attention left his thoughts and turned to his companion and how much she had changed over the past four months. First she had surprised them all by actually growing a two inches and a grown a cup size, it wasn't much but Medea had been shocked she had grown at all. Then in an effort to subtly disguise she had ditched her pink hair bow and let her hair grow out to her shoulders; her distinctive ahoge had stayed however, Jaune sometimes swore the thing changed with her mood but figured it was stress or something getting to him. Her favorite and most worn outfit was now that same sundress from Argus but the hat stayed tucked away unless they were sure combat was unlikely to happen, a set of undershorts had been added once she revealed she could fly to Jaune and gave him a pantyshot. Finally was the slight scar that she had gotten on her left cheek from when they had had fought an Archer-class Servant in some woods, the spirt using hit and run tactics to strike at them until Jaune had decimated the area with Blasted Tree and removed all the trees for him to shoot from or hide behind but by the time he did Penny had nearly gotten shot in the forehead if she hadn't tripped over a tree root.

"Yeah, quite the view." It really was a gorgeous sunset, the sky becoming a canvas of various colors as the sun went down. Seeing it like this was even worth the chill in the air as they sped towards the next stop on the train's route. Penny leaned into Jaune and he wrapped his arm around her, both happy for the warmth the other provided. Unbeknownst to Jaune was the fact that Penny's cheeks were burning warmer than anywhere else on her body.

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Port watched eight of his students as they scoured the abandoned town of Kuroyuri; the combined teams of RWBY and PRAN had begged the teachers to give them a mission in this area so that they could pop by this decimated settlement when they finished their assignment. At first the faculty of Beacon had been against it; not only might it show favoritism and most of the staff had become quite distanced from the second-year teams after they dropped Jaune Arc like so much trash during their first year. Once the reasons for the teams' desire to come her became known however Port had been willing to put aside his misgivings and signed up to escort them should they find a team to trade missions with. Team CFVY had a mission exterminating a few packs of Beowolves that had grown to a worrying size and that was who they had approached; from what he had saw Ms. Scarlatina wasn't happy about it, the young woman had been close to the young Arc, and Ms. Adel had her own misgivings but they decided to allow it. The third-year team was now on the mission team RWBY would have been on, assisting in a town that was having more bandit troubles than recently.

Revenge was a subject that had to be handled delicately and PRAN's ninja and valkyrie craved it against the Grimm that had decimated their home. Better they do it with support than wait for a school break and run off on their own, as it was Port had been fully expecting Lie Ren's shell to crack when the creature came along but it was becoming exceedingly less likely that this would happen.

"Students I think it's time we quit." They all gave him their attention and he looked around the area, taking in the signs of a relatively recent fight one last time. "Looking at all the signs I believe someone has already killed the beast we came here to fight. Between the fact the most recent hoof-prints, ancient as they are, are about four or five months old and only lead into the town I can say with near-certainty once you look at the other evidence that someone has slain it already." The fact hoofprints remained at all was a miracle, the sheer force that must have been used to drive them so deep that they survived so long was not something Port believed he would have enjoyed fighting at his age.

"Are you two okay?" Pyrrha looked at her teammates in concern, knowing just how important this had been to them. Ren was a bit wistful and Nora looked at him in concern while her boyfriend kept his eyes on their surroundings. Ren shook his head and then addressed the champion; bringing out his father's knife.

"I would have preferred to have killed it myself, preferably gutting it with this blade, but I'll settle for it just being dead. I can live with that." Nora wrapped Ren in a hug as they all walked out of the village, it was a two day walk to the town of Shion where they would be picked up. Team RWBY joined them, the all-girls team expressing their condolences to Ren before Yang moved the topic of conversation to the happier topic of the next break.

"So Pyrrha, you manage to get your schedule clear for the break?" Perhaps it was a bit early to discuss an event that was almost another four months away but with how demanding her schedule could be Pyrrha had to plan ahead.

"Yes, my agent was upset but unfortunately for him I had the vacation days saved up and I wasn't going to give into his begging." Yang and Nora cheered at that, glad to see the girl would be joining them. Weiss smiled at Pyrrha, knowing just how annoying an agent could be.

"Good for you, I'm surprised that your agent put up more of a fight then my Father. Blake, your dad is willing to have a meeting with me correct. I don't even need it to be a long one so long as I have proof one occurred my own will stay off my back." Menagerie was their destination, the eight of them joining Blake in visiting her home. Weiss had sold it off to her father as a chance to get some good relations with Faunus and he had run with it.

"Yes, he said he could pencil you in for a few minutes." Blake's smirk at the idea of playing Jacques Schnee was contagious. Ruby, the one of their group to grow the most over the last few months, got her partners attention.

"Weiss, I meant to ask you earlier but did you hear anything about Penny while you were in Atlas for the break?" Weiss gave a small frown at Ruby's question as she had to be the bearer of bad news.

"No, I'm sorry Ruby but I didn't. I approached Ciel, General Ironwood, and my sister but they either didn't know anything or didn't feel like sharing." Weiss was almost certain it was the latter but felt Ruby could do without hearing her friends fate was being hidden.

"Oh, okay. I'll just have to have hope I'll see her again like I do for Jaune." Weiss frowned at that; she had come to see just how awful she had been at times to the blond fool even though she still questioned his admittance. The fact she didn't let up after he had helped her start her relationship with Neptune, doomed as it was thanks to the boy's womanizing ways, was a black mark from her perspective. Still she didn't think he belonged at Beacon, not when someone as competent as Alistair had taken the spot. Shaking her head and dismissing those thoughts as well as a small headache Weiss asked her own question, one she had been waiting for Yang to get out of hearing range before asking.

"How has Yang been doing with her Mom?" a difficult relationship with a mother was something Weiss could fully understand. Ruby waved her hand and her face scrunched up.

"Its … uhhh … going decently? I don't know, there weren't any fights so I think it's a win." Weiss had to agree, her own mother barely looked at her and she couldn't go a few hours without wanting to strangle her little shit of a brother Whitley after his attempt to snatch her spot as the SDC heir. Ruby on the other hand found her thoughts turning towards the blond she wasn't related to.

'_Jaune, where are you?'_

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes**_

Jaune was currently in the barroom of a tavern listening to the tale of an old fort that people were claiming had become haunted.

"The fort never gave any sign of the supernatural before; just a month ago it was a popular spot to camp for the night if you couldn't make it to any of the three villages nearby. Yet since then people dressed like ancient warriors have been spotted, snatching people away never to be seen again. It wasn't until a week ago we figure out where they probably took them." The man talking to Jaune laid a map out on the table before pointing out the fort on it, the old building smackdab in the middle of three villages that formed a triangle of sorts. "Look, the farthest these warriors have been sighted is in these three spots." The man reached out, putting a small pile of salt at each of the locations he spoke of. Jaune frowned as he took over, sticking a finger in one pile and smoothing it out to reach the next one and then repeating the process.

"It's a perimeter. How big?"

"Two, maybe two and a half miles when we figured it out. If I've heard correctly its grown another half-mile in our direction." Jaune cursed under his breath before speaking to the tavern owner.

"You said these people captured, not killed?" the man nodded and Jaune felt the blood drain from his face as Kiritsugu spoke up.

"_A month to build up defenses and gather materials, if this is a Caster class servant we'll have our hand's full." _Jaune nodded, Medea's High-Speed Divine Words made her capable of quick-casting offensive magecraft but her defensive spells and such required time to prepare. Time was a Caster's friend and every second they lived only made them more dangerous.

"_Anyone else have any thoughts." _Diarmuid spoke up first.

"_While Kiritsugu is correct we should also consider the idea it is instead a Phantasm that lets one summon an army. That could belong to any class." _

"_Love Spot is correct, I'm sure any number of rulers or generals could have a Phantasm that brings their forces to follow them into battle again. _

"_Ughh, must you call me by that nickname Mordred?"_

"_I stopped calling you Irish Lancelot; what more do you want?" _

"Son, you alright?" Jaune looked up at the man and shoved the Servant's into the back of his mind.

"Yeah, just thinking. If the perimeter is expanding towards us then they probably plan to take this town first before going for the others." Which was good because it implied a limited number of forces as they kept from stretching their lines too far. "It's probably bandits that decide to use fear of the supernatural, they play a little dress-up and people worry the dead are rising."

"Agreed, why do you think I've dropped the price of drinks so low. Morale can't afford to go down with the number of people we've lost. I just can't get why they would capture such large numbers; true I could see a few being kept for … unsavory reasons but they've taken so many it has to be hurting their supplies if the captives are still alive and even if they're not what purpose would they have for the bodies?"

"Probably best not to think about it. Penny and I will check it out in the morning; you guys have the ammo we requested?" The tavern owner nodded, pointing out at a man that was nursing a drink.

"Our shopkeeper had some in stock, your girl can pick it up before you head out in the morning." Jaune blushed at the man's words.

"Penny isn't my girl!" No sooner had he said that then Penny came over, her cheeks flushed and her steps uneven. When she got over to the two men she plopped herself down on Jaune's lap and yawned.

"Jaunneee, I want to go out. Want to come with me?"" Jaune's blush only grew as the man sitting across from him raised an eyebrow at him; the silent _really_ practically being screamed across the table.

"Penny have you been drinking?" Penny giggled and nodded before pointing over to a group of young men, all of them showing signs of inebriation but all of them not quite drunk enough to miss the feeling of impending death that crashed down upon them.

"Yeah, those guys bought me some and said we could have a fun time later. Can we go?" Jaune's glare could melt concrete as Penny spoke, any trace of embarrassment from the fact she basically asked if they could have sex vanishing as he took in the men who were walking corpses.

"Penny, when you can comprehend what I'm saying I'll explain why you should not. We're going to go to bed now." Penny looked up at him with childlike innocence that didn't mix with her drunken state.

"So we'll have fun time later?" Jaune's blush was back in full force as he picked Penny up in a bridal style carry and ran up the stairs. As he did the men that had bought Penny the drinks found themselves surrounded by a growing crowd, all of them having arrived on the train with Jaune and Penny. One man stepped forward; a pool cue held threateningly in his hands.

"So you wanted to have some fun?" The passengers of the train were well aware of how badly things could have gone if Jaune and Penny hadn't been there and these people were happy to pay them back by beating down on the louts in front of them.

_**Fate/Deck Of Heroes**_

Jaune walked down the beach, the sun shining down on him while the waves crashed against the sand.

"Hello Master." Jaune turned his head to find Medea sitting on the sand, her gaze focused on the ocean. Jaune went over and sat beside her, wondering what they would get up to tonight. Each Spirit had a variety of things they did with him but they were all focused on training him in some way, shape, or form. However every now and then he would just hang out with the Spirits, even Kiritsugu would sometimes just create a bar in and share a drink with him as he told tales of Earth.

"So what's up Medea? Normally you'd make a classroom or workshop for us to use." Medea sent her master a teasing smirk before her face fell into a pout, crocodile tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Does my Master not want to spend time with me outside of the classroom; am I just a bore to you?" Jaune panicked, fearful of upsetting the Witch and ending up like some of the idiots he had seen in her memories. He had no desire to end up as a 'wand'.

"What?! No of course not! I'm just …" he trailed off as Medea began laughing into her hand. "You're messing with me." Medea's eyes gleamed with mischief as she stopped her laughter.

"Of course, I love seeing all the cute expressions you make when you get flustered." Jaune opened his mouth to argue but was cut off as Medea reached over and forced his head onto her lap. "Just rest now Master, you'll need it tomorrow." Jaune wanted to argue but he could feel his eyes growing heavy. "Don't worry, just a light spell to make you sleep. I promise I'll wake you in the morning; now rest your eyes Master."

"Mmmph; okay. Night Medea." Jaune fell asleep, his subconscious joining his conscious in sleep. Medea ran a hand through Jaune's hair as she smiled down at the young man.

"My darling Master; you actually trust me enough to sleep on my lap. Me, the Witch of Betrayal, a woman of evil." The free hand Medea had moved to rest over Jaune's throat. "I could squeeze and make this body mine; I could take the power of the others and rule this world." The hand moved away from his throat, coming up to Jaune's head and tilting his face towards her. "But you already know that, you know that and still trust me. Even with all the evil I have committed you still smile at me and trust me; you still bind the two of us together and let me bathe in the warmth that is your presence." Purple hair covered Jaune's face as Medea leaned over, her face inches from the young man's sleeping face.

"You have no idea how many hearts you've captured, do you? The puppet would do anything you asked her; the snake is yours, all you have to do is say the word; the monster literally gave you her heart; even the knight is smitten with you. And then there is me. You, one who's looks should inspire nothing but rage from me, bring me such happiness." Medea closed the gap and planted her lips on Jaune's, planting a chaste kiss upon his sleeping form. When she broke their connection she said no more, merely smiled down at her Master and took in the sounds of the waves crashing against the beach.

"You can come on out Atalanta." The Archer Class Servant dropped from a cliff; the only change in her appearance the fact her gauntlets were gone.

"You knew?"

"I know that you or the Assassin have watched over us every time we've met up. I don't blame you; blondes and I don't have the best history." Atlanta took a deep breath before walking over to Medea and sitting down beside her.

"At first I did that but after the third time I knew you'd never harm our Master. I… " Atalanta paused, her attention leaving Medea and being directed towards the ground. "… I watched because I got to see that smile of yours again." Medea looked at her fellow Greek, her face blank. "I now know what I did was wrong. We abandoned you when you had no control of your actions. I should have known better; I knew how much you loved your brother so I should have known you wouldn't ever hurt him let alone kill him. Yet instead of staying by your side and trying to help I …"

"Abandoned me and left me with a man who took advantage of my bespelled state every night once no-one was around to ensure his good behavior and then abandoned me once he was bored and found a 'better' option." Tears began to drip down the Huntresses face as she heard that; the knowledge she abandoned a young maiden to such a fate, a direct betrayal of her duties as a Huntress, making her core grow cold. Her tears began to stop as a hand began to stroke her cat-ears. "I forgave you long ago; you had morals that you held on to and had no way to know that bitch of a love goddess cursed me. I assume you figured it out once she interfered in your life."

"Yes." Atalanta's voice was barely a whisper as she nodded. Medea frowned as she turned back to face the sea.

"I don't remember what happened beyond Jason's wedding, the last clear thought I can think of was how marvelous his despair was as everything burned around him. Master might only have basic knowledge of this science called Psychology but he knows enough that I could determine I had what was called a psychotic break. From then on the person using my body was not me but a broken and twisted version of myself who's actions I can only vaguely recall."

"Medea?"

"But the memories I hold on tightly to, the ones that I treasure most, are the one spent with you." Medea smiled at Atalanta, tears of her own falling down her cheeks. "So if you're willing to have someone as evil as me around I'd love if we could be sisters again." Atalanta nodded and embraced the Magus in a hug that Medea returned. A twisted smile formed on Medea's face as Atalanta could no longer see her face. "We can make up for lost times, I saw this wonderful activity called Dress-Up Time in Master's memories I'd like to try with you." Atalanta nodded, no idea of what Medea had in store for her. The Caster might have forgiven Atalanta but that didn't mean that the Archer wouldn't be subject to the often twisted whims of Medea's desires.

_**Fate/ Deck of Heroes **_

Penny couldn't look at Jaune without blushing as they made their way to the fort, the memories of what she had done last night becoming clear as well as the fact she basically asked him to have sex with her for all to here while under the effect of alcohol. Protected from hangovers she may be but the mind-numbing condition of alcohol was still something she could fall to even if she apparently had a greater tolerance to it than most humans.

Jaune sighed as Penny once more turned away from him with a blush on her face, this was worse than the time she walked in on him in the shower. He didn't blame her for what happened that night; no that was those bastards that tried to get her hammered and vulnerable and he had thoroughly enjoyed sending an impotency curse at them with Medea's help last night. He'd like to see them try that again when they could never get it up, ever.

"Penny let's just forget what happened last night. I don't blame you and it's not like we haven't shared a bed before, even if you've never been as .. grabby .. as last night." Nightmares of that lab had seen him spend many a night as Penny's safety net, she didn't sleep alone once for the first two weeks, and she had a standing invitation to join him in his bed if she ever woke up from one and he didn't. She said his presence calmed her and he accepted that. The nightmares had thankfully lessened over the months but she still had at least one a week. In a way learning to be organic had only hurt her in the dreams department, upon learning that sex wasn't just about procreation she had begun to have vivid nightmares that saw her as a toy for the various people that worked on her. Given her robotic state at the time she feared these were memories that had been erased or blocked coming back now that she had a mostly organic brain.

This is what drove Jaune to break his self-promise not to delve into Necromancy as he saw that as a gateway into darker magics that would stain his soul. The next time he saw Zelretch he had been ready to beg for him to snag a bone of the Professor's only for the vampire to have one on hand; apparently he did this in 4/5 dimensions so the Vampire cut out the begging and got the bone early. With the bone gotten, his own blood working as the ink to paint the symbol down, and a few materials that Medea could create with Item Construction he had performed the ritual to drag the Professor out of whatever pit his soul had been in. He had dragged the answers he sought out of the man, literally wringing the soul for any information about what Penny went through. Thankfully she had never been used as she feared but at one time she had possessed a 'Kill Mode' that the Professor had put to use on several people that either dug to deep or stood in his way. Jaune swore Penny would never learn of that; the girl didn't have bad bone in her body and knowing she was used like that would hurt her in ways he couldn't foresee and was too terrified to ask Zelretch about. Once his questions were answered Jaune had entrapped the Professor in a doll, his soul bound to the toy for as long as it remained in decent condition. He gave the doll to a dog as a chew toy after using Magecraft to ensure the man both never escaped his prison and that he felt everything the doll did. He later told Penny what he did, omitting any mention of the 'Kill Mode', and while it didn't stop those nightmares the relief it brought the girl was visible.

"Okay." Penny nodded at Jaune's proposal, knowing she had to get over her discomfort when they were about to go to battle. When Jaune came to a sudden stop and held out his hand Penny stopped. The numerous installs he had performed had left their mark on the boy's body; his senses weren't even close to Atalanta's and were light-years from Medusa's but at times he could pass for a faunus with how much they had grown and right now they were letting him hear people in armor trying to silently move.

"Crimson Shot!" With that said Jaune rushed forward, Clarent appearing in his hand as he did called out for it. Penny was right behind him, her weapon releasing her blades in their gun forms. Their cover blown the men trying to sneak up on them moved from cover to meet their attackers. Jaune leapt into the air, lightning enveloping Clarent as a wide grin overtook his face. "Crimson Lightning!" with a swing of his blade the lightning shot forward and decimated the front rank of the fighters. Jaune crashed to the earth, swinging Clarent in a downward swing to bisect one that survived the first attack. No blood coated the ground, instead the bodies merely faded away, and now close to them Jaune got his first good look at the warriors.

"_Master, these are Celts!" _Diarmuid's shock was understandable; most Celtic Heroes fought alone, even in war the battles were generally a series of one-on-one fights with the victor moving on to fight another free enemy solider. The idea of them having the ability to summon human allies was almost laughable; animals, familiars, and the like certainly but human allies? No, this made little sense unless it was a Celtic Caster but no-one Diarmuid knew came to mind as a possible Caster even if most had a runic spell or two in their repertory. Jaune's thoughts were interrupted as another wave came at him only to be mowed down in hail of gunfire from Penny.

"_We'll ponder later, for now we fight!" _Jaune ran at the Celtic Warriors, Clarent gleaming in the sun. One rushed to meet him and their blades locked in a struggle, another came at his side with a spear only to fall to the ground with a hole in his head. Lighting ran along Clarent and then ran down the blade it clashed against and the warrior hopped back with a howl.

"Ga..CHK!" His shout was cut off as his throat was cut, Jaune didn't spare him a second glance as he moved on.

"_They… they ignored Chivalry?! Where is their honor!? How dare they disgrace our land!" _Diarmuid may have come to understand Chivalry didn't exist on Remnant and that his allies didn't hold with all his beliefs, Kiritsugu and Medea had been a target for much scorn before he learned their histories but seeing warriors from his homeland disregard it was too much for the knight. Jaune took the Lancer's cries into account, knowing this was another twist to what the aspects that Celtic's shared making it harder to identify who they were up against, but relegated it to later as he put his focus into those trying to gut him. Right now with a dozen or so seasoned warriors trying to kill him he was never more thankful for Penny taking his strategies and ideas to heart.

Crimson Shot, the simple combo of him drawing an opponent's attention to him while Penny unleased a volley of gunfire on them from afar. It was rather hard to keep an eye out for a shooter when someone was swinging a blade that promised an electrifying experience if hit as seen by how quickly the forces in front of him dwindled to nothing.

"_Master, Mages to your right!" _Jaune swung around in time to place Clarent between him and the fireball that raced towards him. He gritted his teeth as the flames licked his aura but the worst of it was blocked by the sword; as the fire died down a whistle in the wind caught his attention and he looked up to see a volley of arrows.

"Shit!" Jaune began funneling energy into Clarent, a red glow surrounding the weapon and growing brighter each second. Swinging the sword at the incoming projectiles a blade of red energy decimated the majority of them; the remaining ones blown of course from the force of the swing.

"RAHHHH!" the screams of many filled the air as the Jaune and Penny regrouped, looking around that saw warriors coming from every direction.

"Oh come on! How the hell did we miss this!?" Jaune dismissed Clarent and held up the Lancer Card. "Install: Lancer!" Getting into a ready position as the twin spears burst into existence while Penny observed their opponents Jaune began to pick out the Mages that were scattered throughout the enemy force, they needed to die first. It was likely they used some spell or such to hide the forces as they got into position.

"Jaune, they all look the same." Penny's remark confused Jaune for a second before he saw what she did. While the warriors all looked different they each had similar features, enough that you would think they were related. Jaune had no more time to talk as the warrior rushed forward.

"For her Majesty!" Jaune tucked the fact they worked for a woman into the back of his mind, hopefully it would be another clue to the identity of the Heroic Spirit behind this. The fight was split between quality and quantity; with Jaune and Penny's weapons helping take away a bit of the quantity advantage. With two spears Jaune was able to block and attack while Penny's multitude of blades made her a nightmare for the closely lumped forces as they carved into any that approached her.

"Penny, make an opening!" The orange-head nodded, directing three blades to cut down those between them and two of the mages. Taking the opening Jaune rushed forward, cutting the mages down before they could even fire a spell off.

"Now!" Jaune's eyes widened as runes flared to life on the bodies of the mages he just killed; rather than fading away they exploded with extreme force. Jaune was sent flying through the air, crashing down on the other side of the encirclement.

"Jaune!" Penny made to aid Jaune but found herself surrounded; she made to bury her blades into those that opposed her only to freeze as another rune sprang to life beneath her. One mage walked forward and drew in the air with his staff, a copy of the rune on the ground appearing in the air. Once done the rune shot forward and when it reached Penny sunk into her.

"Penny!" Jaune stumbled to his feet, a warrior rushed him but was impaled before he could get close. Noticing his recovery the rest of the troops but one focused on Jaune, that sole warrior tossing Penny over his shoulder. "Shuffle: Archer!" Jaune was moving even as he switched from Lancer to Archer; jumping back into the air and lining up his shot. He had developed this technique for just such a situation where he didn't have the time to Uninstall and then Install a new card. The tradeoff was Shuffle put more strain on his body but the precious seconds it saved were worth it.

Jaune drew an arrow, his target the abductor's head. He had a clear shot right at the base of the warrior's skull. Right as he made to release the string two arrows buried themselves in his leg, the shafts glowing with runes. Jaune collapsed to the ground, the force of the arrow's throwing his shot off. When his crash-landing sent him rolling across the ground he went with it; popping up onto one knee, his uninjured one, and taking aim he found the fleeing warrior had moved Penny to ensure he couldn't take a shot without hitting her. A bestial growl escaped Jaune's throat as he rolled away from his spot as several warriors made to impale him.

"Phoebus Catastrophe!" Even without the aria chanted the Noble Phantasm was more than capable of decimating the remaining enemies at such close range. Turning around Jaune found Penny and her kidnapper were gone.

"DAMN IT!" Jaune screamed as he ripped both arrows from his leg; his semblance amplifying his healing so that within seconds he could stand without trouble. Another few minutes and he'd be perfectly capable of running. _"Why her!? Why focus specifically on Penny!?" _No one answered and Jaune was actually thankful for that as he held back vomit when his imagination began to run wild with all the things a Caster might use her for. His leg soon stopped aching and he began to run; putting Atlanta's speed to good use while her tracking abilities ensured he was on the kidnapper's trail.

"_STOP!" _Medea and Kiritsugu screamed at the same time; heeding their words Jaune came to a stop right before he crossed a hill.

"_There is a Bounded Field in front of you. It's basic but powerful: I'm seeing alarms, traps that are activated once you cross, and a tagging feature that will let the creator know where you are at all times inside the Field." _Jaune stopped, Uninstalling Atalanta and pulling the Assassin card out.

"I see. Well then Kiritsugu; this is the first time I've gotten to really put your skills to use." It was true, while he had fought using the Assassin Class Card after Atlas Jaune had never had a reason to sneak into an area undetected so that aspect of the form had gone unused.

"_Yes, time to eliminate the target." _

"Install: Assassin." A quick second saw Jaune decked out in Kiritsugu's outfit and the Field made clear to him. "Now then; let's put the fear of the Magus Killer into this Spirit."

**Alright hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now onto the new feature for future chapters; a little omake series call Penny Learns. It is here that we will watch as our favorite former robot learns all those things that we consider common knowledge. If anyone has any ideas for these feel free to PM me or put them in a review. I hope you enjoy them.**

**Lesson 1**

**Penny Learns: The Concept Of Knocking**

Penny had found one downside to being an organic and that was the need for regular cleansing. It had been only two days since her transformation and she already found herself in need of a shower. Saphron and Terra had been more than happy to lend her some toiletries and she was most eager to rid herself of the smell. Finding the correct door Penny opened it up and went inside only to find Jaune was already in there; the young man using a towel to dry off his hair.

"Hello, Friend Jaune." Jaune jumped and quickly wrapped the towel around his waist.

"Penny!? I freaking locked the door! Out, out!" Jaune gently pushed the girl out and closed the door behind her. By then Saphron was coming up the stairs with a sheepish look on her face.

"Sorry; I forgot that lock is broken. We keep meaning to get it fixed but it's rarely used so it often goes unnoticed." The eldest Arc of her generation was surprised to find Penny more confused than embarrassed.

"It's fine, I just wonder why friend Jaune was embarrassed. From what I understand he is above average so shouldn't he be proud of that?" Jaune, capable of hearing everything they were saying, sunk to the floor in embarrassment and terror as he pictured the teasing his sister would put him through. Saphron was having to hold back her laughter as she took in the girl's blunt statement.


	7. Chapter 7

**Well a lot of people figured out who it was; honestly I shouldn't really be that surprised. Anyone who's gotten to America on FGO could figure it out. I did like the idea that it was Fionn put forward by Midnight69, I'll be keeping that one as a possibility later on. As always I don't own RWBY or the Nasuverse. **

**Chapter 7 – Storm the Castle**

"Lemonade, all proceeds go to the memorial." Team RWBY and the female half of PRAN cooed over the little girl that was selling lemonade, her hair done up in pigtails and her yellow sundress with a white trim making her look so adorable while the foam sword tied to her waist only added to the cuteness.

"Why is that little Thalia? You've gotten so big." The students watched with interest as Port walked up to the girl with a smile on his face. The older villagers looking at him with recognition and respect; apparently some of his tall tales held some truth to them. The little girl looked up at him with confusion clear on her face.

"Have we met sir?"

"Hahaha! Good to see Bacchus installed some manners into you given how much of a wild one he was long ago. He and I grew up in the same neighborhood; where is that old …" Port trailed off as he saw Thalia's face fall and her eyes tear up. The girl wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before she spoke.

"He.. he died a couple months ago. Bandits attacked and he… he didn't let them shoot me." Port blinked before pulling out some lien and putting them into the jar; paying thrice the price for the plastic cup he picked up. Holding the cup in the air the professor looked towards the sky.

"Good show old man; no better death than saving a loved one." Swallowing the cup in one gulp Port made a note to break out some of his stash with Oobleck once he got back; a proper toast needed something strong but he was still on duty for now. "I'm so sorry young lady; your Grandfather was a great man. Do you know where his killer is?" Thalia smiled and pointed at the jug of lemonade.

"Dead; he and the rest are plant food now after Jaune got through with them." Everyone froze and stared at the girl. Pyrrha was the first to recover.

"Did you say Jaune? Jaune Arc?" Thalia's smile was gleaming as she practically vibrated with joy.

"Yep; he put the bas…"

"THALIA!" the young girl froze and paled as a young woman came over and pinched her cheek. The green-haired woman was dressed in a chief's outfit, flour covering her apron and her hair. "I told you to watch your language young lady! Do I need to break the tabasco sauce and soap out again?"

"Nooo Aunt Vivian." The woman's cold smile sent chills through everyone as she released Thalia.

"Good girl. Sorry about that; this little one is like a parrot and some idiots can't watch their language around her." Everyone nodded.

"Forgive me but I thought Bacchus only had one daughter?" Vivian smile turned wistful and she rubbed Thalia's head.

"Yes he did, I've just known Thalia all her life and she lives with me and my husband now. Now then what made you want to use that language young lady."

"I was telling them about Jaune saving us from the bandits." Vivian nodded.

"Of course; this little one idolizes the boy. She practically strong-armed him into coming back to train her in a few years." The students couldn't believe their ears; Jaune saving a town from bandits?

"HAHAHA! I knew that boy would go places; not even a year out on his own and he's already saved a village!" Thalia shoved a fist in the air.

"Yeah; he's going to turn me into a badass like."

"Thalia! I swear I'm going to cut out those idiots tongues for teaching you these words." A snort cut through the air and everyone looked at Yang.

"Vomit-boy? Come on I can't be the only one finding this so improbable." Thalia looked over the two teams and her eyes narrowed as she began to make connections.

"You're his old team aren't you?" Pyrrha nodded, stepping forward.

"Yes, I was his old partner. We felt that … SPLASH" Pyrrha was cut off as a cup of lemonade slammed into her face and coated her in the sticky beverage.

"Go away! You traitors don't deserve him!" Everyone looked startled at the girl's outburst while Vivian narrowed her eyes at the students.

"I would recommend keeping that fact quiet until you leave; Jaune is a local hero and badmouthing him will not end well for you all." Looking around it was clear to see that anyone that had heard the outburst was glaring at them, any bit of kindness the people had shown them before was gone. Port took this all in and began herding his students towards the field to await the Bullhead.

"Yes mam. It was good to see Thalia again; expect some delayed condolences to head your way once I let the old gang know Bacchus passed. Pyrrha was oblivious to it all as she accepted a towel from Alistair and began to wipe the lemonade off herself.

'_Jaune did it, he became a hero to these people. Were we wrong? No, no the villagers are mostly untrained and Thalia is a little girl. She's probably exaggerate, right?!' _

"Pyrrha?" the champion looked at her boyfriend and shook her head as she tried to get as much lemonade out of it as possible.

"It's nothing; just wondering how much they're exaggerating." Pyrrha had to believe they were exaggerating, had to believe Jaune merely beat some idiots with guns that were half as untrained as him otherwise she was wrong and if she was wrong then getting him removed from the team wasn't for his own good. Pyrrha winced as her head felt a slight bit of pain but attributed that to the lack of rest they had had recently. Alistair held up his hand as if to cover a yawn; a devilish smirk hidden behind his hand.

'_Oh Pyrrha don't worry your pretty head over it, a few more months and it'll all be over. Amber can't survive forever and soon they'll have to pick another and I've got ties to all five of the most likely choices. Ruby for her eyes, Yang for her power, Weiss for her semblance, Blake for her willingness to cross lines, and you for your sheer talent and lack of spine. They'll pick you most likely, say a few words about the greater good and how it all rests on your shoulders and you'll cave easily despite the risk. Ozpin and his group think of you as a pawn and want to upgrade you; unfortunately for them they've missed the black queen's pawn already in a position to take you down." _

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

The old fort had a basic design; four walls formed a square shape with towers on each of them and walkways for troops connecting them, in the center stood a main building that housed anyone stationed there as well as lead to the underground areas. Right now three warriors were on top of each tower; each one assigned a direction to scan for any incoming threats.

"Clear."

"Clear."

"Clea…. IN..GHK" the one that made to shout was cut off as a knife buried itself in his skull. The remaining two looked up into the night sky to see a hooded figure falling towards them, the gleam of metal shining off the two knives that were heading their way. Unable to react in time they died as well, their bodies collapsing into dust before the figure touched down without a sound.

'_Stage one completed; began stage two.' _Jaune nodded; holding out his arms and letting a sniper rife form in his hands. Kiritsugu's unique version of Item Construction allowing him to create all the tools of the trade that he used in life. This was the Walther WA2000; a gun to end all guns from Kiritsugu's world and time. Propping the weapon up on a ledge Jaune took aim at another Warrior on a separate tower.

"Bang." Jaune's word was simultaneous with the shot that blew the warrior's head off. The shot hear an alarm went up and Jaune hopped off the tower and to the walkway. Concealing his presence Jaune made his way down to the main area. Two warriors ran his way; unable to sense him as his presence was completely concealed. Three seconds of revealing his presence and two stabs with his knife saw the men dead before he faded from view again. The door to the main area was warded and locked; both easily taken care of within a minute.

'_Hold on Penny, just a bit longer.' _

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes **_

Penny hadn't known what to expect when she was finally able to move again. Well, move relatively speaking. The rune had been removed from her but another one kept her tethered to the bed they had laid her on before leaving her alone; her weapon placed just out of reach. She hadn't needed to wait long before the one in charge came to her.

"Oh they got me a cute one." Penny took in the Spirit that stood across from her. Long pink hair, pale yet clear skin, she wasn't short but wouldn't be considered especially tall. Her figure was a perfect; that was the only word Penny had to describe it. A white bra with some kind of connected shoulder covering and similar mini-mini-skirt were all she wore alongside a spiked tiara and white gloves. A whip was held in her hands; similar to the one Glynda Goodwitch wielded but practically leaking power. Not a single sign of corruption was present on her body. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Medb, Queen of Connacht. You are most welcome for the honor of basking in my presence." Penny didn't make any movements; aware she would be decimated before lifting a finger.

"You aren't corrupted?" Medb looked at her with a hint of shock before she giggled and waved it off.

"So someone in this world is in the know; this just gets better and better. Yes; I am completely uncorrupted. After all I only allow something I want inside me." A predatory smirk came on her face as she stalked closer to Penny; the girl stepping back and stopping once she hit the bed. "See whoever built this fort had no idea they placed right over a ley-line convergence and while this world's ley-lines are of a horrible quality so many together allowed me to come to life and purge myself of the corruption easily. Sadly I can only do so much with the energy available beyond sustaining myself; it's been slow going as I've picked up people to help further my Fields." Penny was having to keep herself in check as Medb got in close; her eyes practically undressing the girl.

"Fields?" Penny couldn't get more than that word out as Medb ran a finger up her arm; the touch sending shivers up her spine that she couldn't tell were out of fear or something else.

"Fields, one is a stronger one meant for defense and the other is needed to allow my Warriors to exist. The limitations of this world are so vexing." Penny held back whimpers as Medb began to run her hands over her body. The Spirit never grasped, never pinched, never did anything to make her hurt. Unable to resist Penny found herself pushed onto the bed; Medb using one hand to hold her arms above her head while she straddled the girl. Penny's survival instincts and she began to struggle, her enhanced strength actually making Medb have to put a little effort into restraining her. "Stop struggling; I promise you'll enjoy this. I'll give you an experience the likes of which you've never had."

"NO!" Penny's screamed as her struggles picked up. "I will not die!" Medb looked down at the girl before bursting out into laughter rolling off the girl and to the side where she clutched her stomach and curled into a ball as she laughed.

"Oh my! HAHAHA! You … you don't even know what you're saying do you?" Medb got back into Penny's face with a lustful grin. "The only death you'd have would be a little one." Penny simply stared back with fear; the innuendo going over her head and causing Medb's smile to fall. "I don't kill for my fuel; a bit of sex works just as well. Unfortunately the people of this world don't seem to last very long so I've been having to deal with sheer inadequacy and you can only do it so many times with warriors you create before it just gets stale." Penny blushed and scooted away from the Celtic Queen.

"I.. I don't .. please don't." Medb's grin only grew as she watched the girl blush and stutter.

"Oh; the young lady has a specific person in mind. Do you want him to be the one to pop that cherry?" Penny's cheeks flushed to match the fruit's color and Medb relished in the girl's reactions. "It must be that hunk you were with; I so hope he comes for you. I think he might actually be worth devoting a night to." Quick as a wink Medb was behind Penny; wrapping her arms around the girl and began to work at removing her victim's clothing. "How about a deal; I wait till he gets here before we get to the hard stuff and the three of us engage in a wild night of passion for your debut into the world of carnal desire." Penny was unable to respond; stuttering and overheating as Medb began to nibble on her earlobe. Right as Medb's hand began to drop to between Penny's legs gunshots filled the air. Medb stopped her ministrations and grinned at Penny. "Looks like your knight came for you; I'll go retrieve him." Penny heart skipped a beat as her imagination ran wild with Medb's words, the lusty queen's aura making her thoughts much more risqué than the girl was generally capable of. Medb sauntered out of the room; a swing in her steps as she went to fight Jaune leaving Penny a blushing mess in rumpled clothing on the bed.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

Jaune ducked behind a wall as a fireball flew through the area his head just occupied before sticking his submachine gun, the Calico M950, and emptying the clip into the three mages, or as Diarmuid had called them Druids, that barred his way. The empty clip vanished and another one appeared in his free hand to reload the gun. Looking to his side he took in the cells that had been converted to be more comfortable; each one filled with the people that were missing. They looked unharmed but exhausted; their clothing all rumpled and their eyes glazed over.

"_The Spirit didn't kill them for Mana?" _Jaune's question was directed to the two mages in his collection of Spirits but he would have taken any answer. When the answer came he was honestly glad it was Kiritsugu and his emotionless voice that answered.

"_Mana Transfer is possible with bodily fluids used as a medium; most often sexual emissions. The Spirit is thinking in the long-term and keeping them alive so that they have more resources later on."_

"_Not only that Master but we're on top of a ley-line convergence. Even with the sheer lack of natural magic in this world this is a vast amount of power for a Spirit to use." _

"Well hello there Mr. Knight." Jaune spun around and jumped back a bit to put some more space between him and the newcomer.

"_Alright is it a requirement for every female Heroic Spirit to be a paragon of beauty?" _Jaune didn't find anything wrong with saying that; Medusa, Medea, Atalanta, Fran, and Mordred were all gorgeous and so was every female spirit that he had seen so far. This one was no exception even if he would never be stupid enough to fall for her.

"_KILL THE BITCH; STRIKE THE HARLOT DOWN!" _

"_Whoa! What's got you in a huff love spot?"_

"_That is Medb; one of the worst woman to ever live. A harlot that hopped into anyone's bed so long as it benefited her in some way. It was her actions that led to many great heroes deaths!" _

"My, my. Won't you take off that hood and mask? I'd like to see the face of the man that will share my bed." Jaune pointed his gun at her; his eyes emotionless even if inside he was filled with burning anger.

"Where is Penny?!" Medb sighed and rested her head in one palm.

"Waiting for me to get back; such a cute little thing and you went and interrupted our time together." Jaune's blood froze and it took everything he had not to fire right there.

"What."

"She's quite the looker and so much power is just below the surface. I was enjoying our time together and she had almost accepted it as well before you came. I know I wanted you but a woman doesn't like a man that comes early." Medb winked at Jaune before leaning to the side to avoid the bullets he fired. "Oh; upset you didn't get the tasty little morsel first?" A wicked grin came onto the Queen's face and she licked her lips. "Don't worry, you can have her as well once I'm done with you two." Medb rushed forward; her whip swing towards Jaune who began backtracking as he pulled out his blade.

Jaune's frown was hidden behind his mask as he dodged Medb's blows; luring her away from the cells. Throwing herself at him with a whip instead of magecraft wasn't something a Caster would do. Flipping his knife into a reversed grip he blocked the whip with it and pointed his gun right at her heart and emptied the clip. Medb was forced back and to the ground and Jaune made for the exit; the bullets would only slow her down and he needed more room to dodge. When Jaune burst out of the exit he found all the warriors he expected to find gone.

"I like a lover with some fire in him but you're sending some mixed signals here." Jaune drew a bead on Medb who popped into existence beside him.

"I thought I was quite clear; I don't want you and never will. I'd be to terrified I'd catch something." A dark snarl escaped Medb's throat and she held out a hand. With a burst of light a familiar weapon formed; no longer a mere shadow but now the true form revealed.

"Fergus, My Love!" The weapon of the first spirit he ever fought was now in Medb's hand; glowing with a rainbow-like light. With a swing a blast of power is sent his way and Jaune leaps away. "People don't reject me without paying the price. Cu was a disobedient dog and for that I had to punish him but I went too far and he broke. I won't make the same mistake this time; you will heel to me." Jaune kept dodging; unwilling to risk getting hit by one of those blasts. The gun he held disappeared and he drew the Thompson and fired when the next blast came his way. The bullet struck the blast and Jaune took in Medb; nothing happened.

"Oh; some kind of anti-magus weapon. You thought I was a Caster?" Medb smirked and a shadow covered Jaune. Leaping forward Jaune managed to avoid the attack from above but a horn rammed into his side and sent him flying into a wall where he slid to the ground; blood flowed from the wound even as his aura worked to stitch him back up.

"Shit; you're a Rider."

"_I see; Medb was known for some magecraft but her most famous tale was stealing some prized bulls." _Jaune was getting a look at those bulls right now. The two of them twice as large as normal ones and clearly intelligent. One charged towards him and Jaune rushed to meet it; the animal lowering its head in an attempt to skewer him. Right as it's horns were inches from him he leapt onto the creature's head and used it as a springboard while a Rocket Launcher formed in his hands. Aiming downwards he fired right before a foot slammed into his back; the rocket hitting its target right as he slammed into the ground and rolled to the side to avoid the second attack. He was unable to avoid the follow-up and a foot caught him in his ribs and sent him flying into a wall again.

"Do you understand now; accept your place and bask in the pleasure I'll grant you. Chariot My Love!" Jaune got to his feet just in time to see Medb charging forward in a chariot drawn by the bulls; the animals catching him in their charge and throwing him over their heads into the chariot. For a second reality faded; nothing existed and darkness was all he knew before color returned. A bedroom; that was all he could perceive as his blood became ablaze and he collapsed to his knees. "This is my world." Jaune could catch a faint image of Medb despite the fact his sight was blurred; she was utterly naked if he wasn't mistaken. "No man can deny me; no man can leave until I'm finished with them." Two soft hands gripped his face and Jaune struggled to force the lust that was rising within him down. "Resistance is a waste; just give in and partake in this pleasure." Medb pushed his hood off and pulled his mask down. Her face was the only thing that wasn't blurry as hell in his eyes. "Now enjoy this blessing I grant you and become mine." Medb's face closed in on his; her lips puckered for a kiss. The small part of Jaune that remained unaffected knew the moment she kissed him he was finished; her spell would take hold and he would never escape.

"_**Hands off my man!" **_A voice, an odd combination of dark and gentle, rang out in his ears; one that he didn't recognize and instinctively knew wasn't Avenger's. A crack rang throughout the room and then their surrounding shattered; Medb looking around in shock as her Reality Marble collapsed.

"What!?" Jaune bounced to his feet and drew his knife; unwilling to waste the opening he had.

"Pick Ye Roses While Ye May; Chronos Rose!" Kiritsugu's Nobel Phantasm; the pinnacle of his time-altering Magecraft. Hundreds of afterimages surrounded Medb as cuts began to appear on her body. When they all vanished Jaune stood in front of Medb; his knife buried in her chest and her skin marred with hundreds of red lines and blood running down her body. Jaune was breathing heavily, blood dripping from his own wounds as he forced the knife deeper.

"You really are my favorite type of guy; that girl is so lucky." Medb collapsed against his body and pressed her mouth to his ear. "I wish I got to play with you and the girl; you both were just so cute." With that Medb's body faded away and left only a card behind. Jaune collapsed to the ground once she was gone; his Install fading alongside his consciousness by the time he hit the dirt.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

"What the hell was that voice?!" Jaune had wasted no time before grilling Kiritsugu in his area; a replica of his adoptive mother's base in this case but it was occasionally a bar. Kiritsugu was sitting on a chair and performing maintenance on his weapons; an unnecessary act but one he did out of habit.

"A curse of some kind. Did Zelretch ever describe the world I came from?"

"No and you know he wouldn't. I though counter guardians were lucky to remember their own names?"

"Counter Guardians only retain memories related to combat and useful skills; as someone that spent a good portion of his life killing or learning skills to use in hunting Magi I retain most of my memories. I got that curse after the 4th Grail War caused its battleground, Fuyuki, and England to be set ablaze with cursed fire. A Kingdom of nightmares erupted from England and it took almost everything the Clocktower had to contain and get rid of the fires and that kingdom but curses still ran rampant. I wasn't anywhere near either site but this curse still latched on to me." A cigarette formed in Kiritsugu's hands and trailed off as he took a drag from the stick. "The curse occasionally reversed my luck when I was facing impossible odds; for a brief moment I have S-rank luck instead of E-rank."

"And this is a curse how?"

"Someone will drop dead soon enough; their luck is what enhance yours. I didn't recognize it at first until the third time someone had a tragic accident near me." Jaune paled as Kiritsugu told him that little tidbit. "I know what you're thinking; don't bother. I consulted plenty of experts and dug through plenty of family libraries and found no way to remove the curse."

"If you had this curse how did you die?" It was an honest question; while the curse was especially cruel to someone that tried to save people it provided its host's admittedly impressive benefits.

"Overwork; after the Clocktower dealt with the Grail War's aftermath they had to prioritize with the amount of manpower and resources they had lost. They chose to focus on things like Dead Apostles and the like; as a result a lot of monsters slipped their leashes. I didn't have time to rest; not when so many innocents were dying because of this." Jaune nods in response; the Clocktower was filled with monsters but they were often the lesser, though not by much, of two evils. Anyone they had a leash on was dangerous and amoral even by their standards.

"It was a female I heard; was that what you meant when you talked about obsessions and complications?" Kiritsugu looked away and took another drag of his cigarette.

"Yes and no. I don't recognize the voice but for some reason it's important to me. An image of a woman with white hair has haunted me since the curse took hold." Jaune was quite certain he was barely on the Heroic Spirit's radar at the moment with how glazed his eyes looked. "Then there was Shirley and that damn dream of being a hero of justice. Despite the fact I lost any right to the title the moment I couldn't kill her when she begged me to I continued to chase that futile dream until the end no matter what the cost." Jaune looked over the Magus Killer and wondered if this could have been him in the future if things had turned out differently. They both wanted to protect people and had the odds stacked against them; with a slight alteration to either's morals they could possibly replace the other.

"So we killed someone then; that curse will claim their life?" Kiritsugu shrugs in response and Jaune decides to let it go.

"You should know Avenger took a peek earlier." Jaune froze; the extra-class Spirit had been quiet ever since he obtained the Cards. "I think he was drawn towards your rage at what Medb said she did to Penny. Something to keep in mind." Jaune nodded; Medb's last words held no deception and she had no reason to lie so Penny's virtue might still be safe but when he thought she had been taken advantage of by the Spirit he had felt a burning rage the likes of which he never had before.

"Thanks; let me know if anything else happens." With that Jaune left the Assassin to his devices and went to see what some of the others were up to. He reached Fran's area, currently an endless field of flowers, first and found her and Medusa making flower crowns.

"Master!" Upon noticing Jaune Fran rushed him; the force of her leaping hug nearly knocking him over.

"Good to see you Fran. What are you and Medusa up to?" another body wrapped around him and Jaune looked to the side to see Medusa resting her head on his shoulder; a small smile on her face.

"Fran and I were just having a little fun; I used to do this with my sisters and Fran was interested."

"Uuuh." Fran smiled up at Jaune and he returned it as he found himself dragged over to the spot the two Spirits had been sitting at. Sitting down Jaune watched Fran show him her work while Medusa took a seat at his side; the new angle allowing Jaune to see the crown of white flowers that Medusa had adorned on her head.

"What's up?" Mordred burst into the scene; plopping down on the other side of Jaune.

"Fran wanted to show off some flower crowns she made." Mordred looked like she wanted to scoff but held it back; the Knight held the Berserker class servant in a certain level of esteem for Fran's own rebellion.

"Uwaahh." The two blondes turned to see Fran holding a crown made of red and white flowers out to Mordred.

"Umm; it looks good Sparky." A pout formed on Fran's face and she held the crown closer to Mordred's face causing the knight to lean back with confusion on her face. A sigh tinged with amusement came from Medusa; further reminding Jaune just how much she could 'see'.

"She wants you to wear it." Mordred's gaze flicked between Medusa and Fran before she reached for the crown only for Fran to place it on Mordred's head herself.

"Li…like?" Mordred tentatively brushed a hand against the crown.

"It looks good on you; your majesty." A tinge of red dusted Mordred's cheeks as she buried her face into her knees at Jaune's teasing comment.

"Yeah; its real good Fra… wahhh!" Mordred found herself being manhandled into the air by the crown's creator. The former knight of the round table found herself spun around by Fran; a smile on the Berserker's face and joy radiating in her eyes as she spun Mordred around. After a minute of this Fran set Mordred back down; right on Jaune's lap. The knight made to get up only to stop when Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and whisper into her ear.

"Thanks for playing along; Fran really admires you." Jaune couldn't see it but Mordred's face was bright red and Medusa was smirking at the Saber.

"Ye..yeah. It's as she should; I am the strongest of the Round Table behind Father … and maybe the womanizer." Jaune smirked as he set Mordred back on the ground beside him; the Knight had made great progress in opening up and the fact she went along with this showed it.

"Yep; you are someone anyone would look up to." Jaune grinned as he ruffled Mordred's hair; still oblivious to the reason for the change in the knight's facial skin tone.

"Sis … best!" Mordred froze and Jaune could swear that he saw her eyes water before the knight blinked and it was gone. Fran's comment didn't surprise Jaune though; he was aware that Fran had designated familial terms to each of the Spirits. Mordred, Atalanta, and Medusa had fallen into the Sister category, Medea and Diarmuid were aunt and uncle respectively, and Kiritsugu was actually the Father of the group. The Assassin's emotionless demeanor might never break but he still treated the Berserker kindly and Fran had imprinted on him.

"Oh; what do we have here?" Jaune looked towards Medea's voice and was stunned by what he saw. Medea was dressed in a modified version of her favorite gown from her childhood; one that had been altered to fit her adult proportions. In contrast the blushing huntress next to her was dressed in a modern maid uniform; it wasn't sexualized or anything like that but it was still a drastic change to Atalanta's apparel and one that showed off her body just as well as her regular outfit.

"Wow." Medea's smirk carried a hint of victory and she turned to Atalanta.

"Yes; me and Atalanta wanted to try out the Dress-up time from your memories. Of course we chose to make a deviation and wear clothes our gender typically wears." It was Jaune's turn to blush now as he recalled the hell that his sisters would put him through when he was younger; there was a reason he took little issue wearing a dress.

"Uhhh." Both princesses soon found Fran holding out crowns to them as well; one made of purple flowers for Medea and another made of yellow ones for Atalanta.

"Aren't you precious." Medea smiled at Fran as she put her crown on; Atalanta thanking Fran and putting her own on as well. Diarmuid arrived right as the princesses sat down as well.

"Does the Bride have one for me?" A circlet of red and yellow flowers was his answer. "Thank you milady." Looking around Jaune smiled as he saw the majority of the Spirits gathered in one place, six of the closest people to him all in one spot.

"Damn it!" Jaune leapt up as he remembered why he was unconscious. "I got to check on Penny. We'll continue this later guys." Jaune's body vanished as he forced himself to wake.

"Our Master is growing well." The Heroic Spirits all drew and pointed their weapons at the new voice; the sole spirit to not interact with their Master; Edmond Dantes the Avenger-class Servant. "Come now; there is no need to threaten me."

"You hide and refuse to aid our Master like an honorable warrior, what guarantee do we have that you mean him well." Edmond grinned at the Lancer's statement, taking in the devotion he saw in the Spirits before him and the one behind him that was ready to bury a knife in his back.

"I don't aid him because he isn't ready; only one filled with burning hatred or madness can possibly sustain a contract with an Avenger. Jaune Arc doesn't seem to be one to fall to the latter and he hasn't quite reached the former. Believe me I respect the man who carries our cards; a fellow victim of treachery from those close to the heart and that is why I wait. Because until his heart's sole purpose for beating is revenge he won't be able to handle me." Edmond's body began to fade as he left the area; heading back for his only little corner that he had claimed. "Believe me; I eagerly await the day Master's heart is consumed with the all-powerful desire for vengeance. Because then I will aid him and we will truly see if he'll sink to the depths of darkness or manage to claw his way back up." Edmond stopped vanishing as a sword dug into his chin; Mordred's eyes burning into his.

"If you hurt him I will make you beg for that prison you claim to be the Count of." Edmond's grin only grew; his laughter filling the field as he finally vanished.

_**Fate/Deck of Heroes**_

Jaune wasn't certain what to expect when he woke up but it was not finding Penny and Zelretch watching a holes/screens in the air with Penny's blades in gun form pointing at several small ripples in the air that signaled Zelretch had made a portal. The large hole was showing two men confronting one another; one was a wealthy elite from the looks of it and the other looked homeless and sick. The hood of the latter fell off and revealed a heavily-distorted face and snow-white hair; his hands held out and insects rushing forward into an invisible shield that burned them to a crisp. The other screen showed an aerial dogfight between a golden warrior and a similarly colored vehicle and a black knight that was controlling a modern Earth-plane.

"Now Miss Penny." Penny fired and half of the bullets slammed into the noble and the other half slammed into the golden warrior. The noble dropped to one knee and the shield shattered; the bugs rushing him and while sound wasn't included he was no doubt screaming as he was devoured alive. The other half hit the golden warrior and while they didn't seem to hurt him they clearly distracted him enough for the black warrior to slam into him and begin to tear into him. The black knight tearing a limb off was the last sight shown before the hole/screen vanished.

"What the hell did Penny just help you do?" Said girl rushed him and tackled him back onto the bed.

"You're okay, you're okay, you're okay…" Jaune patted Penny on the back as she repeated that against his shoulder.

"Oh young Penny just aided me in tipping the scales in a Grail War. I like to throw Kariya a bone once in a while" That made sense; Zelretch had told him he loved to mess with Grail Wars. The vampire had once said he loved messing with the Fourth and Fifth wars most of all; mostly the masters of the Saber class. Penny backed off Jaune and smiled.

"We punished a man that sold his youngest daughter off to be tortured every day." Jaune looked between the two of them.

"Alright. Penny did Medb .. do anything to you." Penny nodded and Jaune's fury rose.

"You should know Jaune that Miss Penny has not been defiled to the extreme you are thinking of; Medb never got beyond some heavy touching with her thanks to you." A sigh of relief left Jaune once Zelretch finished giving that bit of knowledge, he had managed to get their before the worst of it. "Now I should let you know that the bad luck did strike; one of those louts from the bar tragically took a tumble down some stairs and broke his neck. I suppose karma does exist at times." Again Jaune let a sigh of relief, if Kiritsugu's curse was to claim a victim at least it was someone that would try to take advantage of a drunken girl.

"The people kidnapped?"

"I did you a favor and modified their memories; you stopped a bunch of bandits from gathering people up to sell on the black market. Everyone is resting in town tonight before anyone from the other villages makes their way back tomorrow." Jaune nodded; much more explainable than a Queen from another world using them as batteries. "Now I'll leave you two alone." A smirk came over the Magician. "The bedside drawer is stocked with protection if you need it." Zelretch vanished right as a pillow soared through where he once was leaving the two young adults alone in the room; both blushing up a storm.

_**Fate/Deck of Zero**_

"So someone else is hunting down the cards?" Watts nodded in response to Salem; the man doing his best to hide his nerves given how little success he had had in finding more Cards. He had only found two, one with an Archer and other with a Mage, and the latter had been killed by the former when the Archer heard the Caster's name. Not that anyone blamed him; no-one in Salem's employee was a saint and most weren't even a decent person but even Tyrian found the actions of Gilles De Rais to be despicable.

"Yes mam. Reports of strange Grimm and shadowy warriors as well as that incident in Atlas means one or more person has to be hunting down these cards and I think I identified one." Salem looked down on the scroll and found the pictures of a young man from Atlas and then two days later he was in Argus, an impossibility under normal circumstances. Furthermore some pics had been caught of the boy in various outfits that the Archer had confirmed were related to Servants. Archer had been a fountain of information about Heroic Spirits and had given several educated guesses about the cards; the man had never come across them in his life but he had an idea on who was behind them.

"Jaune Arc, I've heard that name before." Hazel's deep voice filled the room as he spoke up.

"The boy from Beacon. Someone Ozpin had a personal interest in as shown by his acceptance despite the false transcripts the boy used; do you think he's Ozpin's errand boy now?" Salem shook her head at Hazel's question as recalled the boy; removing him had seemed the easiest course of action to Cinder but Salem recalled why she wanted him gone. Ozma was many things but an idealist wasn't often one of them; if he let Jaune Arc into Beacon he had a reason for it. Most likely he saw untapped potential, something that was clearly being used if Jaune Arc was the one collecting cards.

"No; we know Ozpin is on the backfoot when it comes to the cards. It appears someone came looking for these cards and took advantage of Cinder's plans. Watts; go give everything you have to our two newest allies. Let them hunt down this boy and take the cards he has." Watts nodded; inwardly relieved that those two would be gone for a while as they both scared the life out of him. "Dismissed." Watts and Hazel got up and made for the door immediately; Hazel opening the door and moving to the side as a white blur ran into the room.

"Mommy!" Salem smiled as the small child hopped onto her lap and cuddled against her. When she awoke the Assassin Class card this small child had not been what she was expecting nor for her to call her Mommy and awaken feelings she had long-since thought dead.

"Hello Jack; did you have a nice time with Tyrian." The little girl nodded while Salem wiped a small spot of blood of her cheek.

"Uh-huh, Uncle Tyrian was fun. He knows so many ways to play doctor and he let us have a treat once our toy broke." Salem looked down on the little girl in her lap, one who's favorite treats were hearts, and felt a warmth she hadn't felt for thousands of years course through her as she embraced the girl in a hug.

"You are so precious daughter of mine."

**Well hope you enjoyed this one; with Finals coming it up might be a while till the next one comes out. This lesson is based off of an idea given by MM Browsing **

**Lessons 2 & 3**

**Penny Learns: The Art of Arm Wrestling & How to Bruise More Than Flesh**

Jaune was quickly learning that he needed to keep an eye on Penny; the girl was by no means dumb but she knew so little about some aspects of life that he had to stop her from accepting candy from a guy in an unmarked van. He had promptly broken the man's nose and turned him over to the police. Now he had lost her after having to take a quick break to go to the bathroom before they boarded the train.

"Damn it; ten minutes till the train leaves."

"Argghh!" Jaune turned to the source of the scream to find Penny sitting at a table with a man rolling on the floor beside her; clutching his arm which was already bruising. Rushing over he placed a hand on her shoulder made to guide her to the train.

"Penny we got to go; ten minutes till our train leaves." A thump stopped him and he looked to see another man sit down across from Penny; a rifle set down beside him next to a mace or spiked bat of some kind.

"Not so fast; this girl said she could beat us and she still has to beat me. You won't catch me off guard." Penny simply smiled and held out her hand to grasp him.

"Please Jaune; they taught me arm-wrestling so I should at least have one round where I'm not holding back." The man stared at her in shock and Jaune pinched his nose.

"Fine, make it quick please." Penny nodded and look towards the man; his shock gone and now only determination was left with a hint of arrogance mixed in.

"Go." No sooner had the words left his mouth than he went flying a good twenty feet away. Penny stood up and smiled at Jaune.

"That was a fun minute; will you arm-wrestle me later? I want to try doing it with someone challenging." Jaune just held back his laughter as Penny rained insults down on the two men in a cheery tone filled with her usual pep.

"Sure; now come on." Jaune and Penny went to their train and boarded with time to spare; quickly making their way to the sleeper cabin they had purchased for the ride. "So what was that about at the station?"

"Those two men insulted you after you left to empty your body's waste containers. They said they could protect me far better than you could; I didn't like that. I decided to prove them wrong." A slight blush decorated Jaune's cheeks as he took in Penny's reasons; the fact the girl stood up for him was comforting.

"Thank you Penny."

"Of course Friend Jaune, that is what friends are for."


End file.
